For Loyalty to the Crown
by drakel19088
Summary: Two Princes, brothers, each corrupted by their own demons find solace in their loyalty to one thing: each other. When the elder, fallen from grace, abdicates his throne to his brother, the younger must find a way to redeem his broken, drunk brother in the midst of secrets, lies, betrayal, and a Selection. For blood makes relation, but loyalty makes family. SYOC CLOSED
1. Chapter 1

**For Loyalty to the Game**

 **Background:** _When Prince Maxon chose Lady Kriss during his Selection, the country of Illea prospered in a Golden Age. While the Caste system was not lifted, the lower Castes were given more freedoms, opportunities, and resources. Since Illea had a strong new trade with New Asia, the wages were raised for the lower castes. The laws were loosened in regards to inter-caste marriages, sexual relations, and punishments in general. For 100 years, Illea was stronger than it had ever been. That was, until the country of Illea fell into the hands of King Darius Cyrus Schreave._

 _Like all other princes before him, the King had held a Selection to find his true love in a group of 35 young ladies - and he did. The beautiful Queen Jolie Arabelle Schreave didn't steal his heart, but it was given to her with tender and loving care. She was only a Six when she entered, but that didn't matter to Darius. All he saw was her beautiful face and her heart of gold. Darius was so in love with Jolie that it affected him and everything that he did. He was a happier man when she was around and a good king._

 _But then, disaster struck._

 _In the typical human and historical fashion, the decline of Illea began only a decade or two after it's peak. Resource consumption, waste production, species introduction, and overpopulation took over Illea and caused a national pandemic of Ebola. The Virus spread through the livestock kept in horrible conditions and was therefore spread through Illea. Millions were infected and very few survived. Among the millions killed, was Queen Jolie._

 _The King cried and drank for weeks over her dead body. With him and holding his mother's hand was their 3 year old son, Prince Kole Alexander Schreave. Not a tear was shed by the little boy as he held the hand that he, at the time, did not know was dead. He just sat there and watched as his father sobbed on the body of the once beloved Queen Jolie. The people wept as well, for they too had loved the Queen, but the King did not see that._

 _Darius blamed the people for the fatal virus that killed his wife and he blamed them for the time it took to find the cure. Darius took his grief out on the people. He enforced the laws that were once abolished by Maxon and Kriss and made them harsher. He took away the freedoms given to the lower castes and made them stricter. He punished the people for the disease that took his love and his heart from him and he refused to let them live happily if he was not._

 _Two years later though, he did remarry. Heartless and emotionless, King Darius wed Queen Jezebel Adrienne Schreave, a Two with wealth beyond compare who was hand picked by the advisors to the king to pull Illea out of it's downward spiral. It was a power play, and an effective one. Jezebel's money fixed most of Illea's problems and the Royal's standing in the eyes of the public. The King didn't care though. He never cared for anything. Even his son, Prince Kole, couldn't console him long enough before he resorted back to drinking. The King still loved his dear Jolie and never cared for Jezebel in the slightest bit. The only time he ever showed any compassion towards the Queen, was the night that their child, Prince Kalum Adrian Schreave, was conceived._

* * *

 **Flashback 17 years**

A small, 3 year old boy runs through the extensive greenery, stumbling a little every step of the way. His dark, chestnut hair is hidden under the makeshift helmet that keeps falling in front of his eyes, but the little curls still peek out from underneath. His rosy cheeks, kissed by the autumn air, give him a childlike glow that compliments his baby blues. Tripping and stumbling over crisp leaves, the chestnut haired boy just keeps running, only stopping every now and then to look around and remember where he is. The enthused smile on his face almost hides the determined look in his eyes, and almost makes you believe this is just a game.

It's amazing how important a game is to a child. It's amazing how real it seems and how "end-of-the-world" it is when you don't win. For adults, the game is innocent and imaginative and holds no importance but to entertain. For a child, the game is a reproduction of they have experienced. Not only that, but it's a creative re-working of the impressions they have acquired do to those experiences.

"Kal!"

He stops. A mischievous grin spreads across his face as he turns towards the sound.

"Kal! Where are you?"

He crouches low behind a tall, looming statue, trying his best not to make too much noise on the fallen leaves. Crunching noises coming from the side cause him to hold his breath and grip his plastic sword tighter. The drama of the scene rivals that of a real action movie. Releasing his breath as soon as he feels it safe, he takes a small move to see if the coast is clear. For a moment, the courtyard looks deserted with only a slight movement as the breeze dances with the fallen leaves. Suddenly feeling a bit more confident, the little boy takes a small step up to move out from behind the stat-

"Gotcha!"

And the enemy jumps from behind the maze walls! Crown glinting in the afternoon sun atop his dark brown waves, the Play-King stands tall and proud over his significantly younger brother. His identical plastic sword seems to shine brighter and his rosy cheeks don't make him look as childish as his younger brother's do. The smile that he sports is playful and sly and brightens his entire face. In his deep brown eyes you can see what he's not speaking: "I've won."

The taller brother lunges with his sword, making it evident what he's about to do so that the younger has time to react. Plastic clashes plastic as the brothers' muscle memory kicks in and they habitually shift their swords left and right… left and right… each making sure not to seriously harm the other.

In one final move, the elder makes a decision to end the dramatic game, and become the winner. Dodging his brother's next move (considering it was the same one each time) he lunges at the younger and knocks him to the ground! The little chestnut-haired boy, taken aback by the sudden change, is thrown back easily. His plastic sword is wrestled from him as he rolls around on the colorful leaves, causing his helmet to fall off. The elder kneels above him, pointing both swords towards his neck, because in his mind, that's just what you do after winning such a dramatic battle. In a final signal of defeat, the little boy sighs and raises his hands above his head, earning a pleased smile from the elder one.

"Ok, ok, stop it! Let me up, will ya," the younger one, Kal, shouts irritably, "C'mon Kole, you already won!"

The elder one, Kole, laughs and helps up his little brother. He's bright and cheerful, ruffling Kal's hair in a playful manner. Pouting, Kal shoves him away, still sore over his devastating loss.

"Aww c'mon Kal! It was fun, and you know it," Kole pokes his little brother in the side, trying to coax a smile out of him, "at least I got you out of lessons right?"

"Yeah, but you always win! I want to win sometimes."

The little 3 year old throws his helmet and cardboard armor to the ground and crosses his arms. His lower lip juts out in a little pout that just makes Kole laugh even more. The game becomes more and more competitive each time.

"And you always get to play the King too! Why is that?"

Kole sighs. As the elder of the two princes, he was used to questions such as these. It was always the same routine.

"Why do you get to go first?"

"Why do you get the largest?"

"Why do you get to do more than I do?"

"Why can't I be like you?"

All legitimate questions, he supposed. All had the same answer though.

"Because I'm the oldest. That's just the way it is! Besides," he says, giving a little smirk, and jumping up with his crown and sword, "I'm going to be king someday! And you're going to be my faithful knight! I need to prepare you for that don't I?"

Kalum's face breaks into a broad smile as he bounces over to his brother to grab the sword offered to him. His eyes shine with adoration for the King that offered it to him.

"You're going to be such a great King," he says confidently.

"The best!"

"And you're going to do great things!"

"Of course I am!"

"You'll be a good King," Kalum excitedly jumps up and down, swinging his sword around, as if for emphasis, "you'll fight off dragons and invaders and rule the people nicely! You'll be the most amazing King there ever was!"

"I can't do it alone though," Kole says softer, "I'll need my right hand knight to help me as well!"

Running around the courtyard, dancing on statues, and playing in the leaves, the two little princes laugh about how wonderful everything will be. They dream about the world that they will supposedly inherit. They ignore everything that, even at that young age, haunts their worlds. Diving into the giant pile of leaves by the edge of the courtyard, the two boys enjoy a game of innocence that truly has no external influence whatsoever.

As his laughter starts to wane, Kalum looks over at his older brother. His playful and mischievous eyes glow with elation. He has brown eyes, in contrast to Kal's sky blue ones. Kalum looks at his wavy, dark brown hair that looks more like chocolate. It doesn't resemble the light chestnut curl that his own hair has. It does, however, resemble their father.

"Kole," Kalum speaks softly, almost timidly, "you won't be a king like father... will you?"

Kole's eyes harden. He looks at Kal sharply and sits up in the leaves. Suddenly grasping each side of Kal's shoulders so he's forced to look him in the eyes, Kole's face holds such broken pain that gives him almost a dead look in his eyes. He has lost all of his playfulness and instead looks at Kal with complete and utter seriousness.

"Kal. I want you to listen to me. I will never, EVER, be like our father," His eyes hold such earnest pain that Kalum can barely stand to look. "If I ever do fall into such a horrible place, I want you to be the next, great, good, amazing King, because I will never have someone on the throne like our father."

His eyes seem to stare straight through Kalum as he envisions something else in his place. Kalum doesn't know what he's thinking about, but no sooner does he escape his thoughts, when Kalum suddenly asks yet another question that should have the same answer as all the other ones, but holds completely different meaning.

"Why does father love you more?"

Kalum's question is so honest and innocent and full of unshed tears. Kole just couldn't bring himself to lie to his little brother.

"Trust me, it's not me that he loves…"

"Kalum Adrian Schreave! Where have you been young man?"

A beautiful woman strides through the leaves, her long gown dragging behind her elegantly with each step. The pure white dress almost gives her the appearance of an angel with her bright blue eyes and curled blonde hair, all twisted elegantly with a jeweled tiara gracing the top of her head. Her face, though beautiful, holds stern disappointment as she takes one look at who her 3 year old son is with

"Hello Kole," Queen Jezebel says, giving him her upturned nose, "Kalum, you're supposed to be at your lessons with Madame Juno!"

"Um, yes, mother," Kalum says, immediately standing up to dust himself off a little in a hurried fashion, "but I just wanted to-"

"No! No 'buts'! Just get inside right now. You'll get a cold with how chilly it is out here!"

Kalum gives another one of his little pouts but follows obediently, taking just a moment to turn around and wave goodbye to his big brother. Kole waves back with a sad smile, not yet moving from his spot in the leaves. The courtyard seems to get a bit darker as his kid brother left with his stepmother. Jezebel glares at Kole as he waves to her son, but he doesn't see it. Kole only pays her any attention when she finally speaks up towards him, as he's just getting ready to lay back in his leaves.

"And Kole," she speaks curtly, "your father would like to speak with you."

And Kole looks over to her immediately, a terrified look in his eyes. The Queen smiles only slightly at this, as she turns to follow her only son inside.

"Be in his office in 10 minutes."

Kole nods, his body suddenly shaking from what he tells himself is the wind.

Trust me, Kal… you don't want to be me…

 **17 years later**

 **Kalum's POV**

"- contaminated water-"

"-the people are scared-"

"- Queen Jezebel looks out for her people in a time of-"

"-good Queen-"

"-Prince Kalum, her son, proves himself to be just as good-"

The room is quiet to me. I'm kind of mesmerized by the screen right now, not even paying attention to the words being said, just the images being shown. Even the crackling of the fire is lost on me and the faint ticking of the clock on the wall. My only focus is on the television screen. Pictures of my mother flash across the silver screen and illuminate the dark room around me. My eyes are glued to the light as I watch her meet with people and shake hands and kiss babies - everything that is expected of course. I see her overlooking the water damage and other natural disasters that have occurred in the past couple of years. I see the sympathetic smile on her face as she looks out for the people that my father has denied.

My legs are crossed as I lounge on the leather couch in the dark room, arms sprawled around the back. My suit jacket is open and my tie has been loosened. In this dark room, with no one around me, with no one paying attention, and with absolutely no way to show my worth, I don't feel like a prince. The boy that I see on the screen is just a boy. The woman next to him though… that woman is a Queen.

This only happened about 4 hours ago. Mother and I went to show support, to help people and make speeches and such. It's a typical routine, as of lately. The people are always so grateful towards us afterwards, which makes me feel better I suppose. It's the only thing that does anymore. The only thing to make me feel like I'm needed, loved. It's the only thing that makes me feel like a prince.

Suddenly, another noise is introduced that pulls me out of my thoughts. Faint laughter down the hallway sounds extremely familiar the closer it gets. I can hear tripping and stumbling down the hallway, which makes it evident who it is. Sighing, I sit up on the couch and await his entrance. This is gonna be painful to watch.

The door opens, and light floods into the room, with a silhouette of Kole leaning on the doorframe, holding his signature glass of bourbon. I can smell it from here. My brother's presence always seems to fill an entire room. Everyone notices when he's there and everyone cares. He always seems so important and regal - that is until he trips over his own feet while standing still and spills his drink down his shirt.

And now I can see what he looks like.

His dark hair is a mess, his shirt is wrinkled and untucked, his tie just hangs around his neck like a scarf, and I can see the hickeys on his neck. They pair nicely with the red lipstick smeared on his cheek. It's so obvious that he's drunk, because he seems to fall forward with every step and his smile is only that of someone who's either drunk or an eight year old.

"Kal," he slurs as he leans down on the couch cushion, "good to, uhh, to see you buddy! Buddy o'l boy, kal! My little brother!"

He ruffles my hair, like he used to do when we were kids and almost falls over onto the side table. Jesus…

"Ok, Kole, just sit down, "I say, taking his drink from him and guiding him to the couch, "where the hell have you been? You were supposed to go with me and mother to the contamination site!"

"I got busy," he slurred again, grabbing for his cup, but I keep it away from him, "busy with business. Busy business… business that's waiting for me just down the hall."

Wow.

His smirk tells me all I need to know. That, and his hickeys, ruffled hair, and lipstick stains. It isn't new though. In fact, it's become quite common. I groan and throw my head back, trying to pretend I didn't hear that. God! What's wrong with him?

"Well, I'm not letting you go and take care of business. Business can wait."

"But I don't want business to wait!"

"Well too fucking bad," I say calmly, moving to put his drink on the top shelf of the cabinets. He won't be able to reach it in his state.

"You were supposed to be there to support the people and you weren't. You needed to be, but you weren't. What are the people gonna think, huh? That their crown prince abandoned them?"

"I'm not their crown prince."

He speaks softly and seriously as he looks up to me like a child being reprimanded by a parent. He's draped over the couch in a twisted position, but his head looks straight up at me. His eyes sober just the slightest bit and I can see something behind them that throws me for a minute. Only a minute though. After a minute, he looks away from me and leaps.

Yes. He leaps.

Taking a lunge forward, he awkwardly jumps for his glass on the top of the cabinet! I step back in surprise as he attempts to reach the caramel liquid and fails miserably, collapsing onto the floor in a tangled heap.

"Kole!"

I race forward to see if he's ok. Kneeling beside my brother, I try to help him up, but he won't let me. Instead, he simply gazes up with shimmering eyes. I've seen this look before. He looks right at me, except straight through me. A million years seem to flood from his eyes, and yet he makes no sobbing sounds.

"shhhhh," I try to calm him, "shhh it's alright. It's ok."

I'm trying to wipe away his tears, but they just keep overflowing as he stares at me with such broken sorrow. For a minute I stop, taking a second to look into his eyes and feel what he's feeling. Why does he do this to himself? Why go through this much pain? His eyes drift from my face as tears continue to fall. He's now looking at the television that I didn't realize was still on. I turn to look with him as my picture comes onto the screen next my mother. My smiling, clean-cut photo looks insignificant next to the beauty that is my mother. Photos of us meeting with people and making speeches flash onto the screen for awhile as Kole seems just as mesmerized by the light as I was before. There's just something about it, I guess.

"It's funny, I think," Kole finally speaks up softly, "how the tables have turned in this game we're playing."

What?

"It's funny… It's funny how I used to be the King in our game. It's funny how I used to think of myself as the great leader to my little brother. It's funny how I used to win in the games we played… because I think, in the games we played, I was the good king…"

The tears are drying as his eyelids start to sag and he continues to stare at the screen. I, however, can't keep my eyes from his face as I cradle him in my arms like a child - innocent again.

"I was the good king… wasn't I Kal?"

I can only nod in response as tears start to fall from my own eyes.

"I'm not anymore. You are. You finally get to play the King in our game. Trust me, though, Kal… you don't want to be me… I want to be you…"

His eyes are starting to close more and more as I wipe the drying tears off his face.

"You're the Crown Prince… you're the one people love… I'm the bad King. That's why I lost the game. I'm the bad King… like our father…"

I'm sobbing at this point as he starts to fall asleep. His words pierce me and kill me every time he speaks.

"So you should be the new King Kal… you should be the good, great, amazing King… I can't… I've lost…"

With that, he falls into a no-doubt dreamless sleep in my arms as my own tears fall onto his face. I feel his heartbeat against my chest, slow and steady, and let it calm me. I let the heart beat mesmerize me… slow and steady…

When I've calmed myself, I look at the peaceful face of my brother - my brother fallen from grace. He's broken. He has nothing. His words speak to me as I watch the screen intently again, still cradling him in my arms.

"You should be the good, great, amazing King…"

Staring at the screen, I consider my brother's words. Looking at the boy in the screen, I still don't see a Prince, or a King. I look regal. I look like royalty. That's not the same as looking like a King, is it though? Kole knows that. He's always known that. In all the games that we have played, in all the time that we spent together as kids, he always knew what a King was while I was still learning. He knew when he was little how to be a good King, and somehow, he forgot. Every time he comes home drunk or brings home another girl or gets his face printed in the tabloids, he's doing what he always said he wouldn't. He's becoming like father.

Kole is an angel fallen from grace. He's a King without a Kingdom. He's lost who he is to who he thought he was.

When I see myself smiling on the screen, playing at King, I'm doing what he always saw himself doing. I did this to him. I broke him. I made him not believe in himself.

And I have to save him, because that's what brothers do for brothers, and what a Knight does for their King.

* * *

 **YAAAAYYYY! I FINISHED IT! I NEVER THOUGHT THIS DAY WOULD COME!**

 **First and Foremost, before I get into all the exciting stuff, let me just say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to wolfofstark for all of her AMAZING help on this story and all of the ideas that she gave me! Thank you for helping me and collaborating with me and being so amazing with this story! You are seriously the co creator of this story! LOVE YOU WOLFY!**  
 **Ok! Onto the other stuff!**

 **If you read my other story, the Making of History, I'm guessing you will have already noticed that this is not that. There's a completely different storyline with the same two princes and that's about it. The other one was a bit too messy and disorganized and i didn't know what I was doing, but now I have a plan so it will be good!**

 **I'm so sorry this chapter was a little messy and confusing and weird, but I wanted to get it up as fast as possible and the first chapter is always the hardest so don't judge! I know the selection wasn't mentioned in this chapter, but I just wanted it to be a little intro for the world that my Kal and Kole (MY BABIES) are living in and their relationship.**

 **This story is a SYOC so if you want to submit a girl, just check out the rules and form on my profile! I also included some character descriptions so that you can answer the Thoughts/Treatment section easier.**

 **Once again, THANK YOU WOLF and everyone else who supported me with this new story! I hope you liked the first chapter!**

 **PLEEEAAASSEEEEE REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

**For Loyalty to Obsession**

 _Damn, my head hurts._

I've been in worse position. Waking up in the middle of the desert wearing nothing but a sombrero and a poncho, for example, or the time I fell asleep on the Ilean report while Archibald Chamberlain was interviewing some scientist on "bunny management" in Illea and how the rabbit population will be our downfall - although how can you blame me? Severe hangovers, however, still rank up in the top 10 and I would have to say that this one is quite the little bitch. As I blink away the sleep from my eyes, the familiar pounding of a hangover keeps my head firm on the pillow. I attempt to close my eyes again, desperately hoping to sleep it off, but the ringing in my ears and the thumping in my head won't let me. A shiver runs down my spine. My silky sheets are kicked down to the end of the bed, leaving me exposed to the cool air in my room. My room?

 _How did I get here?_

Oh my god, what happened last night? I look across my gold sheets and try to pat around for the familiar feeling of a warm female body next to me. Usually, when I wake up in this position, there's someone next to me. However, I'm pleasantly surprised when I only feel the coolness of my sheets surrounding me. In a way, it's an improvement, but at the same time it's kind of disappointing that I was apparently drinking alone last night.

Finally, I sit up in bed and run a hand through my tangled, cocoa colored locks that are no doubt running in a million directions right now. Sitting up gives me a head rush, and I cringe into my hands, rubbing my eyes and trying to clear the fog. It only makes my head feel worse. When I finally see through the glare of morning light, breaking through my curtains, I look down to see my naked body, completely bare. So, not only was I drinking alone last night, but apparently I took my clothes off by myself too. Usually I'm wearing underwear or something! Sighing to myself and running a hand down my face, I place one foot on the warm carpet and slowly but surely make my way to the bathroom. Every step I take towards the bathroom makes my head pound and all I can think about right now is whether I have Advil in my medicine cabinet.

This is a typical routine, although usually I'm not alone and I have to find aspirin for the woman or women laying next to me. The sharp, unfriendly chill of the bathroom tile leaves icy imprints on my feet as I lean over the marble sink and turn the hot water on. Splashing water on my face clears some of the sleep from my eyes and allows me to fully see my reflection in the mirror. My curly hair is running wild, my black eyes are overshadowed by the dark circles underneath, which, paired with the redness in them, only gives further evidence to my lovely hangover. Studying my reflection, I can see red smudges over my jawline and up to my cheekbones, as well as shadowy markings all down my neck and to my chest. Well, so much for drinking alone.

At this point, I don't really care about whether I was alone or not. To be perfectly blunt, all I want right now is some damn painkillers! Rummaging through my medicine cabinet, I find the little bottle of heaven that I was looking for and take two pills. Great. Now I have to wait.

"Prince Kole? Your Highness, are you in here?"  
"Thank God," I mumble to myself, "be right out Nixon!"

I stumble out of the bathroom and onto the warm carpet to meet Nixon, my butler. He's standing in the sitting room, setting up what looks like liquid euphoria in a cup - coffee! His cropped brown hair and clean shaven chin, dressed up in the standard palace butler uniform - pitch black suit with white silk gloves. I don't actually force him to wear it, but he insists on it. Consistently, in fact. I always try to make him loosen up, but he's so stubborn! The strange thing is, you would think he would be super uptight and judgmental when you look at him, but he doesn't even blink an eyes when I do anything stupid and is just there to be whatever I need him to be. Now, I could say that this is just him doing his job or the fact that he's gotten used to my immense stupidity, or I could be positive and think of Nixon as my wingman! My go-to guy! His young looking face and kind eyes make you immediately like him when you first meet him. I know I do. In fact, in this very moment, I think I love the guy.

"Nixon, you beautiful specimen of human goodness, I could kiss you right now!"

"Please don't."

Nix turns around, his blue eyes not even blinking at the sight of my current attire: nothing. It's not like this new. It's not like he hasn't seen this before. He simply grabs me a soft throw blanket from the back of the couch and tosses it to me before pouring a cup of heaven. I smile. I love this guy…

"Prince Kole - "

"Just Kole, Nix, please."

"Prince Kol, I know that this is relatively customary, but I usually - "

"C'mon Nix what are you trying to say? Just spit it out," I say, grabbing the coffee mug form his hand like it's my life line and sitting down at the couch, immediately chugging it.

"Prince Kole, what would you have me do about the two young ladies sleeping at the foot of your bed?"

Excuse me? I look around swiftly to find that he's right! Lying on the floor just at the foot of my bed - dressed in matching, lacy, black lingerie is two blonde haired women, draped over one another and sleeping soundly. Their hair is all ruffled and messed up, and one of them is actually drooling on the other's butt. Ok, so this explains a lot. It doesn't, however, explain why they're sleeping on the floor, not naked, and looking like homeless hookers.

Oh. That's right. Alcohol.

"Ok then," I say, standing up and still holding my coffee in my hand, "we shall deal with this as we would any other day: wake 'em up, give 'em Advil, and send 'em on their way." I give Nixon a smile and he kind of just shrugs and heads to the bathroom to get the advil.

"Oh! And I'll wake 'em up, don't worry. I suppose it's the least I could do," I say, calling after Nixon, but he doesn't even turn around. I think it's because he knows by this point I do it anyway. It's sort of like a good mark against the girls to wake them up properly, give them proper care, and send them away politely. I mean, I barely ever remember any of it so it doesn't matter whether I was a perfect gentleman or… something else. I just feel like I owe it to them.

Walking over to the sleeping girls, inwardly cringing at the pool of drool falling from the top girls mouth and onto the bottom girl's ass, I take a deep breath and crouch down to whisper in one ear.

"Hey… hey baby it's time to wake up…"

I start to stroke the tangled hair on the top one and she starts to stir, opening one eye to find me staring down at her with a smile playing on my lips. When she looks up, I don't bother to really study her face, only looking at her blue eyes, hidden by smeared mascara. She starts to smile, not realizing that she was just sleeping on some girl's butt and drooling on it. Ah, sweet naivety.

"Good morning," she says, her voice scratchy from sleep, though it has some tone that makes me think she's trying to be seductive even though she looks like crap.

"Good morning," I respond, "and how did you sleep, gorgeous?"  
"I slept we-"

"OW!"  
She's interrupted when she tries to sit up, but her elbow digs into the back of the other blonde girl who is painfully awoken from her slumber, and knocks the girl off of her and onto the floor! Both try to stand up furiously, almost hitting me in the process!

"What the hell, Dee?!"

"What the hell, Vee?!"  
Dee and Vee? Seriously?

"Ok, ladies, I'm so sorry for the inconvenience, and I'm so sorry that you had to wake up like this. I wish we had more time to chat but-"

Both aren't listening to me as the argue about who did what and who drooled on who and who made who look stupid in front of yours truly. I groan and look back at Nixon who is just standing at the bathroom entrance, holding the bottle of advil, and laughing quietly to himself and openly making fun of my apparent misfortune.

"Jesus, My head hurts like-"

"Will you shut u-"

"You're such a bit-"

"Oh I'M the bitch-

"God, you've always been jealou-"

I'm thanking my lucky stars for pain medication because if it weren't for the advil that I took a couple minutes ago, this yelling would bring me to the floor. Instead, I walk purposefully over to a snickering Nixon, snatch the bottle from his hands, and walk back over to the screaming, homeless hookers.

"Ladies, ladies, ladies, please," I coo, and they both whip their heads around to me, "I hate to see you fight over something that was clearly accidental. Look, I'm sure you're both just tired and hungover from last night." I give them a little smirk, as to suggest we did something that I don't actually remember, but they smile back so I guess that either they don't remember either or it was a pretty good time. "How about you two go home, wash up, take some Advil, drink some coffee, and just chill until we meet again."

And with that, I take both of their hands and, gently, bring both up to my lips to softly kiss. They both are blushing madly, and it doesn't take much for me to escort them from the room, each with a pill in their hands and a random shirt that I gave them for clothing. They're not walking through the palace in black lingerie when I don't know where their clothes are.

Sighing as I shut the French doors behind them, I turn to see a snickering Nixon, still standing in the same place as before. I give him a look, and then we both burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of the two homeless hookers. We both just stand there for a couple of minutes, almost brought to tears over the whole ordeal! It's horrible, I know. Truly, I do know that I shouldn't be laughing over something as horrible as a woman's indecency and appearance, but still. They were so ridiculous!

As we start to calm ourselves down, I make my way back to the couch and grab another cup of coffee to sip more leisurely. When I sit down, Nixon comes to organize the tray to be brought back to the kitchen. His laughter is waning, but he looks a bit nervous now. His hands are shaking and he's trying to keep controlled breathing. It's his tell. Whenever Nix is nervous, he always looks like he's having a constipated asthma attack. I eye him suspiciously as he grabs the tray and almost makes it out of them room before quickly turning around to face me.

"Oh, c'mon Nixon, spit it out," I say, taking another sip of coffee and smirking.

He looks conflicted. "I'm sorry your highness-"

"Nix! Just say it!"  
"Just don't shoot the messenger," he mumbles quietly, "Prince Kole, your father has requested to see you this morning. He's in his office, as usual. He'll be expecting you this afternoon at 1:00."

And with that, he turns around and leaves.

I just sit there petrified, staring after him.

Father… Darius… he hasn't wanted to see me in so long. He hasn't called me, seen me, talked to me, or asked after me in months. He's been cooped up in the summer home, probably drinking, probably breaking things. God knows what he's done and who he's hurt in the process.

Before I know it, my feet are taking me across the room. They stop in front of the bar and my hands decide to take part, setting down my coffee cup and reaching down below for the rum. A sizable glass bottle is pulled out from underneath, and my hands unscrew the cork and let the liquid steam into my mug until it looks like it's about to overflow.

And with that, I sit back down on the couch, throw back my "coffee", and stare blankly at the wall, making any thoughts of my father disappear and float softly into oblivion,

* * *

As I pace outside the looming, dark, wooden doors that seem twice as big as they probably are right now, I can almost feel sweat on my forehead. You would think that after 20 or so years of this, I would be used to it and I wouldn't be losing half of my water weight out here pacing. I thought so too. I'm dressed in a pressed, charcoal suit with a crisp white shirt underneath, as well as a checkered green tie underneath that I picked out without really thinking. Well, right now I guess I'm not really thinking, either. My head is still dizzy from coffee and liquor. I also tucked a little rosy handkerchief into my front pocket that I just keep fidgeting with as I wipe down my forehead and take a deep breath. I need to go in.

 _C'mon Kole, you're not 12 anymore._

I straighten my back, stick my chin up, and try to look as much like Kal as humanly possible. My hand as stiff as I can make it, I reach out to turn the door knob. I learned very early on that I should never knock on the door, because it makes an echo sound and hurts my father's ears when he's drunk or hungover. So, I just go straight in. Others, however, haven't figured that out and so they just keep knocking and my father just keeps firing people.

Stepping into the room, I can't help but notice the difference between the lighting now and every other time I have been called here. Usually, the curtains are closed and only one corner lamp is turned on so that my father can make out the liquor cabinet. The fireplace is lit, all of the lights are turned on, the curtains are thrown open and light floods into the room, making it look more welcoming than I had always thought it to be. But the brightest thing in the room, the one thing that threw me off more than anything, was the elated and smiling face of my father - laughing and spinning in his chair.

"Kole! Kole, my boy, you're here," he shouted as he stumbled out of the spinning chair, grabbing his glass of whiskey from the large, mahogany desk. He comes running over to me in his pitch black suit, his shirt unbuttoned and tie hanging loosely around his neck. I'm standing there petrified and stoic as he envelops me in a bear hug that crushes my ribs and catches my breath. He hasn't hugged me since I was 18 and he was drunk, which he obviously is now.

"Father," I speak slowly, "you wanted to see me?"  
He releases me and I can fully study his bright face. His graying, dark beard is beginning to get scraggly and his equally graying curls, that look like an older version of mine, tickle the nape of his neck. His eyes look white and his skin almost has a yellow tint that makes me worried. His face definitely looks thinner, however, as he hugs me, he feels like he's gained weight. I can't comprehend this sudden change of appearance so I just stare for a minute, but he doesn't seem to notice.

"Yes, yes, kole, come and sit down. You want a drink? Of course, I'll pour you a drink!"

He laughs, stumbling over to the brown leather chairs with a crystal tray between them. The crystal bottle on it clearly contains the drink he has in his hands right now, and I know that I shouldn't accept it, but I do.

 _You need alcohol to deal with your father. You always need it._

"So, um, father you've been gone for awhile… where have you been?"

I sit down and take the crystal glass from him as he sits in the chair opposite of me with his own new glass. I stare at the glass for a minute, before shooting it down my throat and letting the bitter taste burn it's way through my body.

"Oh, you know," he says, laughing, "took a couple months to myself in the summer home. I just needed to get away."

 _You always need to get away._

"Mmmm," I nod, "and when did you get back?"

"Just last night," he said quickly, suddenly sitting up as if wanting to move on, "but that's not what I wanted to speak with you about."

He's smiling like a mad man now. Never in my entire life have I seen my father life this. My father is not a crazy drunk, nor a cheerful drunk. My father is an angry, raging drunk who sits quietly for maybe 5 minutes before breaking everything in sight and yelling at whoever is in front of him. Then he breaks down in tears if he's around me and mourns my mother. He tells me to never fall in love, to never trust anyone, to never care about anyone. He tells me that he looks at me and sees my mother, but then he realizes that I'm not her and sees himself. So, he sends me away. This is how it usually goes. This is how I thought it would go. So, why is he sitting here and bouncing up and down like a 5 year old?

He leans in and gestures for me to move in closer, looking around as if there's someone else in the room. I hesitantly move in. Then, he looks at me, conspiratorially, and says something I never thought I would ever hear in my life.

" _Your mother is alive."_

I'm sorry, what?

I stare at his gleeful and expectant face, waiting for my response as I just sit there. I can't quite think right now. My mind has gone blank…

"Uhh… Pardon?"

"Godammit Kole, I just told you your mother's alive! You have to give me something!"

He stands up suddenly and starts pacing, practically bouncing in his step. His long finger rake his locks as he stops and looks at me.

"Your mother. _Your mother._ She's alive and breathing and she's coming today!"

My mouth is gaping.

"I-I was sitting in the parlor at the summer home-"

This is crazy.

"And I was completely sober! I was completely, utterly _sober_!"

He is crazy.

"And I-I look through the window," he gets quiet, gesturing all around with his hands as if to paint the scene around the room, "and then I see her."

His eyes look far off as he stares out his own window, into the garden. Her garden - the garden he built for her. He's consumed by the light and his white eyes are fixed on something I cannot see, but he can.

"I saw her," he whispers, "and she told me that she loved me. She told me that she was coming home. She told me that she was coming back to me."

He's silent, and I'm silent. He continues staring out the windows, his white eyes tearing up, yet still smiling. I don't know what to do. I don't know how to take this. All I can think is something that I guess anyone else in my situation would think: he's crazy. He's drunk.

"Father… father I know that yo-you _believe_ that you saw mother," I say slowly, coaxing, as I begin to stand from my seat, against all my best instincts, "I know that you miss her. I miss her too! I just… well I just don't want you to get your hopes up if she doesn't show up like you wa-"

Father whips his head around, finally facing me. His eyes narrowing and his tears drying up. No longer is he smiling. No longer does the room seem as warm as it was before.

" _You don't believe me,"_ he whispers dangerously, his voice darker, deeper, and more sinister - just as I remember.

"You don't think that she's coming?"

He starts walking towards me, slowly, his head low and threatening. I try to hold my ground.

"You don't think she's coming _for me?_ "

Now I start walking back, my hands clenching by my sides to try and refrain from pushing him back.

"You don't think she _loves me_?"

I shake my head vigorously. My entire body feels like it's shaking. A tightening in my stomach clenches with every step that he takes towards me, and with every step, my heart takes a leap into my throat. I'm now against the wall.

"I assure you, _son_ , that your mother is coming; I assure you that your mother is coming _for me_ ; I assure you that your mother _loves me_! I assure you Kole that I _saw_ your mother and that she _is_ coming to this palace, and I assure you _son_ , that your mother IS NOT DEAD!"

He raises his glass, as if about to smash it against the wall behind me, and I shrink against the wall. Shielding my face from the impact of shattered glass, I wait for the piercing shards to shower over me. I feel nothing though. Instead, I hear the shattering of glass on the floor below and the collapsing of a body on the hardwood. Opening my eyes, I see the limp form of my father, sprawled out on the floor, his white eyes rolling back to stare at the back of his head.

 _Oh my God._

"Father!"

I collapse on the floor next to him.

" _Father!"_

Is he drunk? Is he sick? _Is he dead?_

" _Help!"_

Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god…

" _SOMEONE GET HELP! MY FATHER IS DYING!"_

 _Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god…_

* * *

And now I'm back to pacing.

The sterile white halls of the hospital wing are silent are I walk back and forth in front of my father's room, not daring to look inside. When I think of hospitals, I usually think of death, blood and the pungent odor of both. This hospital wing doesn't fit those characteristics, which is, in a way, scarier. The medical equipment all around is familiar, too familiar in fact. I don't remember much of it, but I do remember this same hallway from 23 years ago, when my mother was dying. It's quieter now. They asked all the guards to wait nearby, but to leave me alone out here. No nurses have come by, which I appreciate. I just want to be alone.

How many times have I prayed for this to happen? How many times have I wished that someday my father would just collapse? How many times have I been beaten by the man lying in the hospital bed, just on the other side of the door, and my only hope in that moment was for exactly this to happen. How many times have I wished death on the king?

 _I'm truly a horrible person._

I'm not exactly sure how long it's been, but it has to have been a few hours because it's already dark outside. I've been walking and pacing and screaming and altogether avoiding the room, but staying just outside because I can't bear to leave. I haven't had one drink tonight, mainly because I'm afraid that if I leave to get one, he'll die. I want one though; I really want one.

"Kole!"  
I hear my brother running down the hallway and turn to see him and Jezebel rushing towards me, both with identical perturbed expressions that probably match mine. They both look a lot more put together than I do, because they probably came straight from a meeting that I was supposed to be in. Jezebel's A-line white dress looks just as regal as she always does, her blonde locks bouncing as she briskly walks, and her blue eyes showing such deep concern that anyone who looks at her would believe she was truly bereaved. I, however, see past that and her presence here only makes me want to run to the liquor cabinet.

"Oh my God, is he alright?! What happened," Kal demands as he tries to open the door to father's hospital room.

"No, Kal, you can't go in there just yet! They're doing some more tests while he's still unconscious and asked for us to leave," I respond.

"You didn't answer the question, Kole," Jezebel jumps in, strutting up to me with her eyes narrowing and her tone sharp, "What. The hell. _Happened?"_

She looks like she's about to skin me alive. I share that sentiment.

"I don't really know," I shout, "he-he was saying crazy stuff about my mother a-and how she was _alive_ and _coming_ and ton of other shit! I mean, he was smiling for God's sake! He had scotch so I just thought that he was drunk but…"

"But? But what?! You were with him and you were letting him drink more, right?"

Jezebel is interrogating me now. My mind is racing so fast that I can barely comprehend what she's saying but I know that I don't like it.

"No… yes… I don't know!"

"Kole, were you or were you not drinking with father in there," Kal asks a bit softer, trying to coddle me.

"YES! YES I WAS DRINKING WITH HIM BUT-"  
"So he was drunk?"  
"Yes! Yes, he was drunk, but I don't think that's what it was-"

I'm interrupted by the door to father's room opening, a tall doctor stepping out. Kal and Jezebel stop and turn with me as the aging doctor walks out slowly and stands before us in agonizing silence. His silence is not comforting.

"So," Kal decides to speak up, "how is he?"

 _How do I want him to answer? Is he dead? Is he dying? Is he sick? Or is he just drunk?_

"The King… the King is alive," he stops as everyone let's out sighs of relief, except for me. Something else is coming.

"However, we did find something that you should know about," he speaks slowly, "The King has what most term as Alcoholic Liver Cirrhosis, or Alcoholic Liver Disease."

 _Oh my…_

"I'm not sure why we didn't catch it earlier, because it is in it's final stages, and unfortunately, there isn't much that we can do in the way of treatment."

 _Oh my…_

"I'm sorry, we can sit down for this if you want. This isn't something that's easy to say…"

We all comply easily, just waiting to hear the inevitable words.

"Your father doesn't have much longer to live. I think that you should anticipate the worst - and begin to plan for a shift in power."

No. No no no no no no no.

"No," I shake my head vigorously, "this isn't happening."

 _I have to be King._

I can't be King. I can't do that job, I'll be just like my father! This day hasn't come, it can't come. If there is one, singular reason for that sonuvabitch to live, it is to prevent my ascent to the throne.

" _Be quiet Kole,_ " Jezebel whispers harshly, whipping her head around, "Doctor, what would you advise we do?"  
"Nothing right now," he says quickly, "I'd estimate he has _maybe_ 5 to 6 months left, but as I said before, I would plan for a shift in power."

Now he's directly looking at me. Everyone is looking directly at me. The Doctor looks a bit self conscious, like he's not sure whether he should be saying this or not. Jezebel's eyes look wide, like she's about to cry, but behind them I can see a hint of smugness for some reason. Kal stares at me with pity, but has a faint smile playing on his lips, like he's proud or something - as if this is good news. I can only imagine what my face looks like. It's probably full of terror.

"No."

"Kole, please, you don't have a choice-"

"No, _Kal_ ," I whip my head to face him, "No. I can't- you _know_ I can't!"  
"No, _Kole_ , I know you _can_! I know that you are completely capable of this and if you just apply yourself-"

" _God,_ is that what we're coming to? If I just apply myself then I'll suddenly be a different person?"  
"You won't be a different person, you'll be the person you always have been!"  
"I'm just going to leave this to your Highnesses, right now," the doctor says, slowly backing away, "I know it's a lot to take in. I'll just leave you to discuss possibiliti-"

"Kal, I'm a drunk. I'm an irresponsible, disrespectful, not diplomatic, and I'm basically one in the same with the dying man on the other side of the door!"

" _Kole! Don't be crude,"_ Jezebel scolds.

"It's true!"

I can't believe none of them see how ludicrous this is! I can't believe Kal, of all people, is arguing with me about this! He knows me, maybe better than anyone. He knows I can't be the King! He knows…

"We both know that I would be the worst possible choice for King, birthright or not. Kal would make a better King than me!"  
Now there's an idea.

"You know that's not true-"

"No," I hold up my hand to stop him, "no, it is true."

I look up as everyone goes quiet. Jezebel looks suspicious and Kal just stares at me incredulously. Kal… he would be a better King…

Kal is responsible. Kal is kind, smart, decent, and the perfect prince. Kal always does the right thing. Kal is the one that the people love, no matter how often he obviously thinks otherwise. Kal would make a better King. Kal should be the King…

"I'm abdicating the throne."  
I say it more to myself than anyone else. The hallway is silent. No one dares speak and even I'm afraid to say more. This is serious. I could be changing the entire dynamic of Ilea as we know it. I could upset a lot of people, important people, but I would be doing it for the good of Ilea. I'm not right for this, but Kal is. Kal deserves this, and the people deserve this.

"I'm going to abdicate the throne," I look up, "and I'm naming you the heir, Kal."

"Kole… you're tired and distraught and you're not in your right mind-"

"No, I actually think that I am," I look straight at Kal, "you need to be the King. You're much better at this than I am. I've never been the crown prince. It's always been you."

Kal sucks in a breath, finally processing what I'm saying. Jezebel just looks pissed.

"Kole, this is not some little whim that you can have, just because you don't feel like doing work! This is the Illean line of succession that we are talking about! You can't simply wave your hand and expect everyone to be fine with it," Jezebel says angrily. She strides up to me and looks even more intimidating than she did when I was 7, which is saying a lot.

"Yes, I know, and I still think that this is the right decision," I say evenly, staring Jezebel right in the eyes.

"You can't do this."

"Yes, I believe I can."

"Do you even know if Kalum is alright with this?!"  
Kal is quiet, still staring at me and not saying anything. I can tell his mind is racing a million miles per minute. Jezebel and I turn towards him with expectant eyes. He needs to understand why I'm doing this.

"I believe you can be the King, Kole," he says evenly, "I believe you can be… I believe you can be a good, great, amazing King."

"This isn't like when we were kids, Kal," I snap before he can say anymore, "I'm not 7! We're not playing Knights and Kings in the garden, and even if we were, haven't you always wanted this?"

"No, I wanted to be like you."

"Well that's a mistake on your part!"

"It's not, Kole! This is what you were meant for and all you ever wanted-"  
"Dammit Kal can you just accept the crown!"

We're both in each other's face and breathing hard. Kal looks frustrated and slightly disappointed, but most of all, he looks defeated. He looks like he jst had his entire life and belief system shattered. He probably has, because as much as he would like to think that I'm still the same person I was when we would play Kings and Knights, I'm not. As much as he would like to believe that I'm worth saving, I'm not.

"Fine."

"What," Jezebel looks at him incredulously, "you're actually _agreeing_ with this lunacy?"

"I'm not," Kal turns towards her, "but if Kole is so set on not becoming the King, then I don't really have much of a choice, do I?"

"There would be a lot of paperwork. Not only that, but we would need to discuss this with the royal advisors and officials," she snaps, "and we would need to address the people about the fact before we make it official to see how they react. On top of all of that, you would need to hold a Selection."

"That's fine. It's fine," I say quickly, "we'll do whatever we need to do. I just can't be King."

Jezebel glares at me with such fire and loathing that I think I might just disintegrate on the spot. I don't know why she's angry, after all, her precious little prince is finally amounting to everything she trained him for.

"I'll sign anything I have to, do anything I have to. Let's just make this official," I say, walking away, but still looking at Kal's blank face, "but, if you'll excuse me, now that I know that my father is about to die, I'm going to finally go get a drink."

I turn and walk down the white hallway, away from my father, who is lying unconscious on a hospital bed; away from my stepmother, the bitch who apparently can't stand the thought of her own son becoming King; away from my brother, my supposed knight, the new King of Illea. I walk away from all of it, and head straight for what has always been a source of comfort since the first day father brought me up to his office: alcohol. I've always thought that my father has defined since my mother died, his cruelty has defined me just like my mother's death defined him. But now I see things for the way they are. My father doesn't define me, alcohol does. And once those abdication or whatever papers are signed, that's all that ever will.

* * *

 **Yes. It is done. It is finished. I am done.**

 **Guys, I am so sorry about the unusual length of this chapter and I apologize for any mistakes that you found, but I honestly just wanted to get it up because I felt like you guys had waited long enough. Kole's POV is one of my favorites just because there's a lot of pain there, but on the outside he's a really charismatic person when he wants to be. Let me hear your thoughts! What did you think of all three parts? I know that it wasn't one of the best things that I have written, but it was so long that I just wanted it to be over with by the end and I didn't care how I finished it.**

 **THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who has reserved a place and submitted characters! I decided that I would extend the amount of characters that I am accepting to 16 instead of 14, but not 20 just because I think that's too much for me to handle and I want this story to be about more than just the selection. All of the characters that I have gotten I am absolutely in love with and I want to thank everyone for putting time and effort into them! It's much appreciated. All of the spots are filled already and that just warms my heart. The list of Mains and Supporting will be posted once I have all the characters, and I want you all to know that supporting does not mean unimportant. I have plans for every single one of my characters and no one will be left out.**

 **Please Review and tell me your thoughts on this chapter, because it's honestly the kind of day where I just need to read reviews to make me feel better!**

 **I love you all! KISSES**


	3. Chapter 3

**For Nostalgia**

As I looked around the room at all the people bustling about, I felt the familiar urge to scream bubbling in my throat, making my hands twitch and my chest hurt. It's not like this was uncommon this week, in fact it had been a continual feeling - torturing me every second of the day. I felt like I was powerless, even though I was practically being handed more power than anyone in the world within the time span of one week. One. _Week_.

It took one week for Kole to decide to change the entire line of succession in Ilea. It took only one week to draw up the papers and have my brother sign over his entire life. It took one week for the country to learn of the news and subsequently outrage before rethinking and celebrating, much to my brother's dismay but not surprise. It took only one week to be deemed the new Crown Prince of Ilea.

Father wasn't there for any of it. Of course, he was in the hospital, slurring obscenities at the nurses about his dead wife who was coming to visit him. When Kole told me about what happened, I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. I never really think about Queen Jolie, Kole's mother, but from everything that I heard, I couldn't help but feel like an intruder. I wasn't, obviously, and I had reasoned with myself many times that this was my home. I was born here and Kole and I share the same father, not to mention that he was only 5 when I was born and was too young to feel as if I was an intruder. Still, it felt that way.

On top of that, now I'm sitting here in my brother's chair with a glistening crown resting softly on my chestnut curls, though it feels like I'm being crushed by the weight. No wonder he's not here. I wouldn't want to be here either.

 _Wait. He's not here?_

I glance around the backstage area of the Palace Playhouse. The dark hallways, with twisting cords and ropes and lights, are filled with stagehands bustling around and trying to set up for the report. I look around at a couple of faces, searching for Kole's mopy expression. I don't see him. I stand up from my seat and make my way through the people, searching for my brother. Of course he's not here! Of course…

"Kal, bud, where you going? We're on in like 20 minutes, and I need to quickly find someone who's willing to kill me."

I turn around to see the anxious face of my best friend, Baron Chamberlin, practically sweating through his pinstripe suit and wearing out his silk handkerchief. Baron's always been a good friend of Kole and I, his family very close to ours. His father was the former Report show host and is very good friends with my mother. Of course, the job is not something that's passed down through generations, but Baron, with his degree in Journalism and natural charisma and relations with the Royal Family, of course was best suited for the job. Although, that doesn't mean he wanted it.

"Yeah, you and me both," I scoff, "hey, have you seen Kole? He's not here and I'm afraid he's gonna skip out on this."

"Oh damn no, I haven't! Ugh, if he's not here then I'm gonna have to go up there and come up with an excuse for him! God, Kal, seriously, you'd be doing me a solid if you could just bash my head in right now…"

"Ha, yeah, how about you shoot me and I'll shoot you. We can make a pact out of it!"  
We both laugh at our morbid senses of humor, but then I remember what I was doing. Kole…

"Hey, as much fun as that sounds, I seriously need to find him. Do you have any idea where he could be?"

"No, I honestly don't, I'm sorry! But while you're looking for him, see if you can find Vegas too. I thought she would be here by now, but you can never trust that bi-"

"Awww are you gossiping about me boys? All good things I hope! Well, then again, I _know_."

We both turn around to the sound of Vegas DeRosier's stilettos clicking on the concrete floor, her wavy blonde hair flipping over her shoulder and her full, burgundy lips curved into her signature taunting smirk. Her blue eyes were teasing, making you think that she knew something you didn't, but at the same time inviting you in and lighting up a room. Her black jumpsuit flattered her slender figure and cinched waist, it's neckline plummeting to her stomach and flaunting her perfect skin. She could probably be a model if she was so inclined, which she definitely wasn't. As she approached us, I could see Baron visibly flinch, rubbing his hand over his square jaw and up through his dirty blonde hair. Yeah, I feel the same buddy…

"Of course not Vegas, why on earth would we say anything remotely unfavorably about you," I say in a dry tone as she approaches, placing one hand patronizingly on one of her hips and cocking her head to look at Baron and I. Her smile is something that most people strive to bear with such ease as she does: careless yet calculating, striking yet simple, and oh so gorgeous. Oh lord, it's no wonder Kole dated her once - they're practically the same person.

"You're absolutely right Kal! What could ever prompt such a misconceived delusion?"

She bats her eyelashes at me, and gives a short laugh.

"So, boys, where's Kole?"

Baron and I look at each other and I give a sigh before Baron jumps in with, "Why? We thought he was with you! I mean, you do get a little jumpy before shows… we thought he was, you know, calming your nerves…"

He smirks at Vegas, hoping to get a rile out of her, hoping that he'll elicit some sort of reaction out of her as she always seems to get from him. Vegas gives no sign of feeling offended or even realizing that it was supposed to have underlying meaning. Instead, she just purses her lips and looks at him with a questioning look in her eyes, even though we both know she understood quite well.

"No, no I wasn't with him… in fact I thought he was here with you! I was just up in my dressing room getting ready for the show! You know Baron - the one we Co-host together? I'm so anxious for that," she gives him a little smirk and takes a step towards him, one of her long legs slipping between his and her hand on his shoulder as he takes in a quick breath, "so, so anxious… I might need _you_ to calm my nerves…"

And with that, she steps away like lightning and struts out without turning back, leaving Baron and I staring into space. Oh Vegas… always one to leave an impression.

"I hate her!"  
Baron shifts to look at me, an incredulous look in his eyes, like he doesn't know what just happened but is irritated nonetheless. Baron and Vegas have an interesting and complicated relationship. This is their first night working together on the show, and oh do they hate it. Well, Baron does. I'm pretty sure Vegas just thinks this is hilarious - the funniest thing she's seen since 3rd grade when she persuaded Baron to let her give him a haircut. Though Baron has always been better in controlled situations with small talk and polite conversation, easily charming a crowd with his natural and easy charisma, Vegas doesn't work like that. She doesn't play by societal rules or etiquette, much preferring to seduce the crowd rather than charm it. It's why they're a good pair for co-hosts, but not friends. I don't think I can even call them friends… more like frenemies?

"No, you don't," I say teasing, patting him on the back, "you hate that she won the game."

"No, I hate _her_. Seriously, it's been what, like 15 years?"

"No, probably more like 16 or 17…"  
"Still," he bursts, his eyes almost painful but still angry, "she always seems to get the upper hand, in everything! Our entire lives! And no matter where I go, there she is, still waiting to taunt me…"  
Oh Baron… the guy just needs to catch a break. Vegas has been friends with my family almost as long as Baron has, since her mother was the French Ambassador, but her father worked as an advisor to my father. She spent a lot of her time in the palace when she was younger, and seemed to relish in the opportunity to torture Baron every chance she got. It's more habitual for her I think as opposed to actual hate. They used to be horrible to each other when they were younger, mainly because each had a crush on the other, but that's besides the point. When she was 17 or so, Vegas went to Paris to see her mother and study there for 4 years, but still returned every single Christmas to see Baron squirm under her gaze.

However, when Baron turned 22 and had gotten his Bachelors from University of Angeles, he decided to travel to England to get his MLitt, which basically studied humanities and arts and such. I only got to visit him there because in those three years he refused to travel back home, and I'm pretty sure it's because he didn't want to see Vegas anymore, but at the same time I know he just preferred anywhere but Ilea. Then, after three years of Kole and I going to see him in England, he finally came back this year and was thrown into this job.

With Vegas.

No one really knows how she persuaded the producers or even my parents to some extent, because for one thing it had always been a one-host kind of show, but somehow, someway she got the job - much to Baron's utter dismay.

"10 minutes till curtain!"  
"Shit," I mumble under my breath, "look, I seriously have to go find Kole or else mother's going to kill him! I swear I'll be back in time ok-"

"You're just gonna leave me here with her?!"

"You'll be fine! God, it's Vegas! You've been dealing with her for your entire life, I think you can handle like 10 minutes without me. Even if you can't, just stay on opposite sides of the stage and try not to kill each other, ok?"

He mumbles a fine and I take off on a run in search of my brother.

* * *

 _Where is he?_

I run through the hallways of the palace, basically just going to any room that has a liquor cabinet and coming up empty. I've checked his room, our private room, my father's room, my father's office, my father's hospital room, and all the royal drawing rooms. He's in none of them! I can feel myself start to sweat through my charcoal suit as I rake my hands through my slicked back hair, messing it up. My heart feels like it's going to just stop at any minute.

 _He can't miss this. He just can't. Not again._

For a minute I stop to take a breather in the yellow drawing room, taking a quick look around to see if he's there, and I'm about to leave just something catches my eye. The gardens. The luminous green grass, sheltered by tall trees with acres upon acres of a winding labyrinth, hiding miniature forest sanctuaries within it's depths. I sigh. Of course that's where he is. Of course.

I take off in my run back down through the stairs and corridors and finally reach the looming French doors that swing open for as I run through the lawn and into the maze, knowing precisely where to go.

I know this maze like the back of my hand, and as I wind through the perfectly cut hedges with blossoms around every corner, I'm overcome with memories, both nostalgic and regretful. I'm brought back to simpler times when Kole and I would run through these hedges playing Knights and Kings, swinging our wooden swords and pouncing on leaves. The times when we would play hide and seek in the never ending gardens, memorizing each one. It was thrilling and childish game, looking back, but I remember that, at the time, it was reality. To Kole and I, these winding paths were our world and the gardens were our homes. Well, at least they were for me. I don't know what alternate universe Kole was living in while I was playing with sticks and pretending they were swords.

I come to a halt at a familiar clearing, shaded by trees and lined with towering gods, positioned in various stances, as if in a battle. They line the clearing like soldiers awaiting orders. No wonder Kole and I always played here. In my mind, I imagined the trees without leaves, all of them in different shades and in piles on the ground. I imagined the comforting crunch of the leaves under my feet and the sun showering through the trees to shed lights on the statues as if they were real gods. Suddenly, everything was back to the way it was when we were both children, playing as if nothing in the world mattered but winning the game the way it was supposed to be won; the way Kole once believed it was meant to be played.

" _Kal, I want you to listen to me. I will never, EVER, be like our father. If I ever do fall into such a horrible place, I want you to be the next good, great, amazing King, because I will never have someone on the throne like our father…"_

"It's not polite to stare."

I'm awoken from my trance, finally looking across the clearing to see Kole, lounging at the feet of the tallest statue at the end of the clearing, Zeus. His eyes looked bored, sardonic, almost like Vegas's except without the teasing edge or a lighthearted smirk. His steel colored suit is thrown open and his stark white shirt is untucked. His hair is a mess and he isn't even looking at me. I stare at him in horror but not surprise. In his hand, he's holding a glass bottle, however not nearly as empty as I would've thought it would be by now. Kole notices me staring at it and gives a cynical laugh.

"Not quite what you expected, huh? Well I'm just full of surprises today, aren't I?"

"No, on the contrary, in fact. You're actually quite predictable today," I respond bluntly but hoping he takes it as a joke.

"Well if that were true then imagine you would've found me a lot faster wouldn't you?"

"Point taken."

We're both quiet for a minute as we just sit and listen to the breeze, not one of us daring to move.

"Ok, Kole," I break the silence "I'm really sorry, but I don't care how drunk or sober you are, but you have to be on the report tonight, ok? You just have to. It's barely been a week since you denounced the throne and if you're not on the report tonight rumors are going to spread immediately and I _will not_ let that happen!"

"Calm, buddy, ok? I'm coming, just give me a minute to finish _reminiscing_ alright? In case you haven't noticed, I'm quite the sentimental _sap_ "  
He gives a satirical grin, waving his bottle in the air but still not moving. I scoff. It's almost comical how true and false that is at the same time. Kole is quite possibly the most sentimental person on the entire earth, not counting me. Why else would he be here, in this garden that we used to play in as kids. The thing is, he pretends that he's not and mocks his supposed dispassion, reminding all of those around him, including me, of how alike he is to our father. He believes it's true, and so suddenly it is. So, not only is he notoriously sentimental, but he's a notorious self-sabotager. That's the story of his life.

Well, it's not gonna work today.

"Ok, you need to get up," I say, striding assertively across the greenery towards him, "the report starts in like 3 minutes, if it hasn't started already-"

"Fine, fine don't get your panties in a twist," Kole says, finally starting to get up slowly but surely. I try to reach down and help him but he shoos me away. Once he finally gets up, stumbles for a minute, and steadies himself with a flare, he gives me a smile and we start walking.

"You know Kal," he stops suddenly in the middle of the clearing, making me turn around, "I think that even I can find the poetry, the irony in this," he says giving another smirk, putting his hands in his pockets, as if to say how relaxed and in control he is. His words make me stop and I look around the garden forgetting the report and everything we're supposed to do.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I say, "it does feel poetic in a way."

"To be back here, our roles switched," he looks around, "I'm glad."

 _No you're not you liar._

"I'm glad that you're finally getting the opportunity that you deserve. It was meant you Kal," he says, looking back at me, a smile finally gracing his lips, "I'm happy for you."

And there is it. The outright, clear-cut lie that I've been waiting to hear for an entire week. The words that confirmed with complete certainty that Kole doesn't want this. Kole doesn't want to be the useless prince. Kole doesn't want to see his brother, his childhood playmate, to take everything from him. Kole want me to be King.

I don't say anything, but instead smile as if nothing happened and it's just a shared moment between brothers, friends.

"Well aren't you the _sentimental sap_ ," I tease.

"But of course! That's me alright."  
We laugh together and Kole takes one last longing look around the garden, before finally laughing softly to himself and walking up to throw his arm around my shoulder as we walk back to the palace together.

 _Don't worry Kole. I'll save you. You'll be King again yet._

* * *

 _ **4 hours later**_

 _ **Unknown POV**_

The room was dark, but the moonlight shining through the windows allowed the 3 people in the shadows to see each other clear enough. The only sounds were of ice clicking in glasses as one fixed the others a drink. French doors thrown open allowed billowing white curtains to be tossed by the night air, creating a certain air of mystery. The windows as tall as the ceiling gave a view to the gardens that made it seem like the people in that room ruled the world, looking over it from their tall tower. One woman, lounging in her black gown on the chaise, looked at the others, one pacing in front of the moonlight, the other fixing himself a drink.

"Oh, will you calm down? Stop pacing, it's creating a draft," the woman says in a monotonous tone, "it's not that big of a deal, I overreacted when I first heard."  
The man pacing stopped and turned toward her, "well, pardon me if I have the slightest bit of _faith in your son_! He is a relatively capable person contrary to your _constant_ insistence of his naivety!"

The woman scoffs, "Because he is! Trust me, Kole just made our lives a lot easier if you ask me."  
"Well I wouldn't underestimate Kalum. The boy knows more than you think."

"The boys knows nothing!" The woman stands up.

"He knows what I tell him and what I tell him is that I am his mother and that I. Know. _Best_."

"He and Kole are close. What happens if -"

"Oh give me a break," he woman gives a snarl, waving him off and turning to fix herself another drink, not paying attention to the other figure in the room, "Yes, sadly, Kalum seems to have a soft spot for his stepbrother, but he also sees him for what he is: a drunk. I trust that Kalum knows what's best for the country, and I trust that he'll trust me."

"Will he?"

The other figure in the room, an older man than both, steps in handing a drink to the younger one. The younger one pauses, takes the drink, and shoots it down his throat. All of them are silent for a moment, awaiting what the older man has to say.

"You're positive that Kalum will choose you over his brother? Are absolutely positive? Do you think you'll be able to manipulate your son as easily as you've been able to manipulate your husband? Your son is not a drunkard."  
"I'm aware that he's not," the woman snaps, "but he's been following me blindly his entire life. I don't think that shall change when he becomes King."

"And what of his wife? What if we have another Jolie on our hands? What if Kalum is more like his romantic father than we first thought?"  
"I'll take care of it," the woman says steadily, "he'll chose the girl I want, and if he doesn't, I'll take care of that too."

"You better," the younger man says, "or else all of this will be for nothing!"  
The woman snaps her head to face him, an incredulous glare shining through the moonlight.

"To what end? What is this end you keep talking about," she says slowly, stalking towards him, "There is no end! The best way to control the crown is from the shadows. It's those that have power but not responsibility that are the safest."  
"Well, yes, but-"

"No. No buts. This is not a problem or even a change. It's just a different focus," the woman looks around the room at her companions, "We're still manipulating the King and the people, only the a different King."

"And the Prince," the older man reminds, "we still have to keep tabs on Kole."

"Why," the woman scoffs, "he's never been a focus. Kole can stay to himself, go off on his escapades and into his liquor cabinet and he's fine."

"Yes, but he's unpredictable. We don't know what he'll do. It's better to keep tabs on him here than to send him off. Besides, if he has any influence over Kal, it's better to keep it controlled from up close."

"Fine, we'll keep Kole here," the woman grumbles, "anything else?"

"No, I think that's it," the older man gives a grin and sips his drink, "Have a good night, both of you."

And with that he leaves. The remaining two figures stand in silence, a tense air between them, the curtains still billowing and the moonlight illuminating their faces.

"Well, Archie, I think that was a productive meeting," the woman says out of nowhere, a small smile gracing her lips.

"Agreed," the man, Archie, smiles back, the tense air suddenly gone, "you and he are like sharks."

"I'm not sure how to take that," she gives a small, dismissive laugh.

"Take it as a compliment! Sharks fight for what they want. They're unrelenting, strong-minded," Archie starts to saunter over to the woman, a smirk on his scruffy face in the dimly lit room, "and oh, so dangerous…"  
His arms wind around the woman's small waist, their shadows blending and becoming one in the night as he tenderly kisses her. She smiles against his lips as her hands tangle in his graying hair and his in her golden blonde locks. They're forms are elegant in the moonlight, entwining is a beautiful sort of passion.

Finally, Archie breaks the kiss and breaths into her hair, "Goodnight my lovely Jezebel."

"Goodnight my sweet Archibald ."  
And with that, Jezebel breaks their contact and smiles sultrily at him, her form a shadow with the moonlight behind her, and walks out of the room, leaving her secret lover wanting more.

 _Power,_ Jezebel thought as she strode easily through the halls and back to her room, _It's in my grasp, I just need to keep it there._

* * *

 **THERE YOU GO SCARLETT! IT'S HERE! I DID IT! YOU HAPPY?!**

 **Scarlett was a freaking slave driver getting me to finish this story, so thank her for actually having this chapter up! Go read her story The Unbreakables because it's a really cool premise! Anyway, thanks so much girl! Your goddamn NAGGING paid off!**

 **Ok guys, yes, this was long overdue, but whatever it's here now. It was supposed to be up two days ago but I had some stuff come up, but here it is now! Just to make up for this unnaturally late chapter, I'm gonna write the next chapter next weekend just for you guys! It WILL be the first character chapter so get excited for that!**

 **Alright, so, I really hate doing this, but I've recently learned that I personally work better when I'm given a deadline and I feel the absolute need to finish a character, so I'm so sorry to do this, but I'm gonna set a deadline for the character forms.**

 **If you reserved a spot, but the character is not in by the** _ **27th of March**_ **, I'm gonna have to give up your spot. However, there are some of you in which I have already discussed characters with and have legitimate reasons for possibly being late to meet that date. If you have a problem meeting it, please just PM because I'll gladly discuss it with you! But if you don't talk to me and the character's not in, I'll be sad not have your character but I'll basically just get rid of the spot. I just want to get this thing rolling and I'm prepared to finally set up a strict update schedule.**

 **SO! Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed the chapter and please please pleaseeeeee review because it makes me so happy! Love you beautifuls!**


	4. Chapter 4

**For the Wolves**

"Key! Greg! I'm home you little gremlins!"

Samantha Halloway shoved her way through the swinging back door and stumbled over to the center of her small kitchen, maneuvering through so it didn't hit her on her ass, and dropped the mountains of groceries onto the creaky wooden table. Her fiery hair, falling out of it's loose ponytail hung in front of her eyes and stuck to her forehead as the sweat from her brow stung her pupils. Collapsing into the creaky wooden chair with an exhausted gasp for air, the young woman waited for the familiar, cool feeling of manufactured air on her neck to dry her sweaty skin, but it didn't come. That reminded her: she had to pay the air conditioning bill.

Shrugging her suffocating flannel off (probably not the best clothing decision on her part), she was left in her stained white tank, still hugging her curves, but not in the preferable way. It was stuck to the sweat on her skin.

"C'mon boys, I have food! Get your butts down here if you want to eat!"

And suddenly there was a thundering commotion from the upstairs as she saw the delicate black curls of her little brother Keith, rushing down the stairs so fast that she thought he was falling. Bouncing off the bottom step, he sprinted over to her and tackles her with a bone-crushing bear hug that you wouldn't expect to come from a 9 year old.

"Key, I have to breathe!" Sam laughs at the young boy's antics, and tries to get him off, but his arms are locked firmly around her neck. "Get off of me munchkin, or I won't give you your surprise!"

"Ahhmmm mahhmmm," she hears from behind her, and she gasps.

"Key! Are you getting into the food," she shrieks as she wrestles him from her neck, only to find his chipmunk cheeks full with the goldfish he's holding in both his hands, though most of them are slipping through his fingers onto the floor, "you cheeky little gremlin!"

The boy shakes his head vigorously as Sam turns and reaches behind her to get the now-open bag of goldfish on the table. "Key, this was supposed to be your surprise!"

The young boy gives a sheepish, cracker filled grin that Sam grimaces at in disgust, but giggles at in the end, ruffling the young boy's pitch black curls and eliciting a whine from him. Shooing him of her lap so she could close the bag and gather the rest of the groceries, Sam suddenly remembers something else.

"Key, where is Greg?"

Sam knew her preteen brother was more than likely up in his room, being the non-sociable, awkward weirdo that he embraced as of late due to those dreadful hormones. She could never be too sure, though. There was always a chance that he was somewhere else…

"Up in his room," Key says, shrugging, and inspecting the rest of the groceries that Sam had gotten, taking inventory of what he would sneak later. Sam sighs, "Ok, good," she said, feeling a bit better, "Greg! Get your ass down here! I have to make dinner!"

Then, giving Key the evil eye, "And I have a bag of goldfish for you for after school tomorrow!"

Hearing the slow thumping of Greg's I'm-too-cool-for-listening-to-my-legal-guardian-and-her-childish-sustenance swagger down the stairs, his blonde, floppy hair being the first thing she sees when he enters the kitchen. Mainly because it hides his eyes and makes him look like a douche, annoying her.

"You called," the 13 year old grumbled, rather sarcastically.

"I did, in fact," Sam shot back, giving an innocent smile as she starts to put away the groceries, "Did you do your homework?"

"Yes"

Sam gave him a patronizing look, as if to say "Please. Like you could pull that one on me."

"I did!" Greg looked like he was lying, and he knew it, but at that point he didn't really care what his older sister thought so he simply looked away and sat down at the kitchen table next to his younger brother, who was now trying to get into the box of animal crackers that Sam had attempted to hide, but ultimately knew he would find. Sam let the subject drop, but still sighed to herself, knowing that this behavior wouldn't just be a faze, but would evolve into a spiral. At some point, she kept telling herself, she would find something for Greg to be happy about, if it couldn't be his family. Right now, however, her only concern was making and serving dinner without giving into her urge to dump it on his head.

"So, um, when did you boys get home? How long did you stay at the bar with Uncle Miles?"

"Nah, we just came straight home," mumbled Greg playing with the chipped wood on the table.

Sam looked up suddenly from the mac n' cheese she was making. "You did what," she asked incredulously, "I told you to come straight home! What if CPS came? What if someone saw that you two were alone and thought that I was being reckless in not supervising you?"

"I didn't feel like sitting in a stuffy bar with a bunch of day-drinks breathing down my neck - sorry not sorry," Greg said, shrugging again, not looking up. Key, by this point, was shrinking back in his chair, not daring to touch the animal crackers as the scene unfolded before him. Sam seethed, now completely turned away from the stove, "Do you not understand how important this is? Greg, if people saw you then they could take you away!"

"And God forbid I be in the care of a stable adult," Greg shot back.

Sam took a step back, her lower back now against the counter. Her eyes spoke volumes as Greg finally looked up and stared her down. That was a low blow. She never thought that even at his lowest he would ever say something like that. She looked at him with a glare hard enough to match his own. Although, his eyes didn't look hateful or mean, but rather defensive. Greg's hands stopped fidgeting with the table, but his jaw still locked and his leg bounced up and down under the table, giving his anxiety away. Sam forced her gaze away, even though the pain was still there, and turned to her bargaining chip for the sake of peace.

As she nonchalantly stirred the watery noodles and inhaled the steam that made the room seem even more hot and humid than it already was, Greg seemed to get more and more uncomfortable in the sudden silence. Key, on the other hand, took it as a sign of harmony, and dug back into the animal crackers. The crinkling of the bag and the clinking of the spoon in the metal pan were the only sounds to be heard in the room.

"So," Sam, coughed, "after you finish dinner, I have to go and feed the wolves. You want to come with me?"

Both boys looked up.

"Really?!" Keith squealed, his eyes lighting up.

"No," Sam looked up from the noodles, "Greg."

Greg's eyes lit up as he looked at her. Sam had never allowed him into the wolf pen before, much less let him actually feed the wolves! The wolf sanctuary that rested in the back of their yard was an area completely off limits to the two boys. The closest that either had gotten in years was right outside the pen to _watch_ Sam feed them and even then she yelled at them when they got too close. Greg had never understood why Sam got to go into the pen, but not him. After all, he was getting older, and he basically saw it as an essential right that every child in their family possessed, but he coveted.

Sam knew this, and it scared her. Still, she understood being drawn to them. Since their father had died, Sam had kept the boys away from the wolves at all costs, and was reminded to do so every time she saw the scar on Keith's arm, the one that he had had since he was only a baby. Greg was older, of course, and she remembered that she was probably around his age when she started to feed the wolves out back, but the fear of having what happened to their father happen to anyone else in her family reserved that right to herself alone.

Greg gulped slowly, gazing at her cautiously. "Really," he asked, "you're not shitting me?"

"Watch your mouth," she chastised swiftly in her attempt at a motherly tone, "and no," she looked at him out of the side of her eye, smirking, "I'm not shitting you."

A smile wider than she had seen in year lit up his face and brought out a brightness in his dark grey eyes as he swept his floppy blonde locks away from his brow. He sat up in his seat, straightening his back as to appear as he felt: like he had become a man.

"Thanks, Sam," Greg spoke clearly, something he hadn't done in awhile, "Seriously, like, thank you."

Sam smiled at him lovingly, or what she hoped looked loving as opposed to the actual terror that was wracking her bones. It would be fine, she told herself. Nothing would happen.

* * *

The two trudged through the long, unmowed grass in their back yard, trying to ignore the possibility of snakes and bugs crawling up their legs. Sam felt suffocated by the sweltering august heat, though it was starting to cool down for the evening. Even in her white tank and loose jean shorts she felt the heat as if it were a tactile substance. Oh, how she longed for the fall and the leaves, but more so for the cool air. And then after that, she would get to see winter and the snow. Well, maybe not. Sam didn't know if Angeles _had_ snow. But then again, she also didn't know if she would be in Angels.

Sam looked over at Greg, who she forced to carry both buckets of meat for the wolves. Smiling to herself, she watched as he trudged through the yard, sweating in the heat just as she was, but still he had a smile gracing his lips. It made her feel good to see him smile. He hadn't smiled in a while. Sam and Greg used to be pretty close, actually, and they did tease each other a lot. Lately though, Sam just assumed that school was getting to him and that was why he locked himself in his room and got this stupid, moody preteen attitude. Of course she knew that at some point she would have to deal with his hormonal-preteen-boy-ness but she didn't think it would be this bad. It was nice to actually have the old Greg back. This Greg was her buddy.

"So," Greg huffed out as they got to the pen, his gaze drifting from her to the beasts inside, "what do we do now?"

Sam put her finger up. "Number one," she mocked authoritatively, "put your gloves on."

"Oh c'mon," Greg groaned, "I knew that already! I've been watching you do this for years, but how do you actually feed them?"  
"Tsk Tsk," Sam chided playfully, "be patient young grasshopper! Let the master teach!"

Greg gave her a "seriously" look, and Sam laughed. "Too much too soon?"

"Baby steps," said Greg, grabbing the buckets, "I'm not Keith."

"Well, I know that," said Sam, giving an exasperated sigh, "Keith would play along and let me procrastinate while I fear for your life!"  
Greg gave her the look that a parent would give a child, but Sam straightened and gave him a hard glare, "C'mon," she said suddenly, "let's go."

Sam opened the locked gate to the pen and stepped inside the medium area, letting Greg inside too, for the first time in years. Taking a breath of reassurance, Sam finally opened the second door to the pen and stepped inside to greet the wolves who were gathering at the door to greet them.

"Back it up guys, we got a new comer in here - try not to kill him," Sam said jokingly, except with a serious edge that she directed at one in particular, "That means you Denali," she said giving a pointed look at the great big one-legged Arctic Wolf lingering in the back. He perked up at the sound of his name, but his eyes were still on the new comer that he hadn't seen before, and therefore kept his distance from. Greg took a cautious step forward, looking around at the wolves gathered at the feet of his sister. He knew that she was their alpha, but he didn't really have a clear idea of what that meant. Now he knew.

There were Five wolves all together, and he could name them upon one glance. There was Kiska, the pump Gray Wolf in the back with the missing ear and significant limp, gazing greedily at the meat that had oils dripping from his bucket, her tongue salivating already. Attu was obvious, given his pitch-black fur and differing eye colors - one blue and one gold. Then there were Denali and Siku; Siku was the eldest female and it was obvious with her calm disposition, lingering in the back with Denali, and her thick, mottled black, gray, brown, red, and white fur.

Then, finally, there was Nanook, the youngest. He lingered beside Sam, his brownish-red fur prominent among the others, and Sam stroked his fur as he walked alongside her. Nanook had always been a favorite of Sam's from the very beginning. He was small and submissive, but sweet in true nature. Sam liked being around him, though she still loved all the wolves. At the same time though, there was always a sense of reservation towards them, like she was standing on a cliff and she knew the she was safe and trusted herself around the cliff, but didn't trust whether the cliff would break or not.

"C'mon Greg," Sam gestured for him to follow, "you wanted to learn how to feed them right?"

"Um," Greg gulped, "yeah.. yeah definitely."

Sam smiled, "Ok then."

Greg walked cautiously over to the grassy area that was typically used for feeding, and the wolves cleared a path for him towards Sam, though Denali was still a little apprehensive and growled as he came near.

Sam saw this and jumped into action, saying quickly, "Greg, stop lingering and move your-"

"Shhhh, Sam," Greg put a hand over her mouth quickly, which Sam was taken aback by, "I'm a child! You wouldn't want people to think that you were being reckless and not supervising me if I went around cursing," giving a little smirk.

Sam released a breath, taking his hand off her mouth and just gazing at him. His eyes looked a lot happier than before. It confused her, but she tore her eyes away before she made herself feel worse.

"So," she said, clearing her throat as she dumped the meat on the ground and watched the wolves devour it, "why _did_ you say that before?"

Greg kept his eyes trained on the wolves, although it looked more like he was just trying to avoid her eyes, that were trained on him.

"What do you mean?"

He asked this slowly, softly, like he wasn't sure whether he should say anything at all. Sam gave him a look.

"You know what I mean."

Greg gave a sigh, "look," he said, turning to her, "you know that I love you. You know that I'm glad that you're here, even though no one else is. I am. It's just…"

"Just what," Sam urged softly.

"Just… why _is_ no one else here? I mean, we have Uncle Miles, but how far does that go? He's a fucking-"

"Hey," Sam warned, sticking her finger up.

"Sorry," Greg mumbled, "but he's a freakin drunk. And at some point, you're gonna have to leave too… I mean you might already…"

Sam's heart ached as she listened to her kid brother talk. She knew that Greg and Keith hadn't had the best hand dealt in life, and hers was no picnic either, but for him to be worried about _her_ leaving? The kid had trust issues. Sam watched as Greg turned back to the wolves as they devoured their dinner in seconds, before pivoting back towards the house, his shoulders slumped.

"Greg," Sam called chasing after him and opening the pen door for him, "look at me."

She grabs his shoulders once thier out and kneels to his level, her teary eyes matching his. "You don't have to worry about me," She said slowly, emphasizing each and every word as if he were as young as Keith, "You're mine until I say otherwise. I will fight for you until my last breath, and you better be damn sure that in this fucked up game of life, I will make sure that you will not only survive, but win." Greg's eyes were wide as he listened to his sister, and Sam figured it was probably because they had never had a conversation like this before. In fact, he had probably never had a conversation like this with anyone before. That had to change.

"Greg," she took a deep breath and continued slowly, "I love you. Don't ever doubt that."

The 13 year old looked down, avoiding her eyes, and asked softly, "Then why did you sign up for the Selection?"

So that's what this was about. Sam laughed quietly and stood, only touching his shoulder to make him look at her.

"That was for you too, you idiot," she smiled, "I'm not leaving you. I'm probably not even becoming a princess," Greg tried to interrupt but Sam stopped him saying, "It's just for the money. That's all this is. Trust me, I don't foresee getting married anytime soon, and if I do," Sam chuckled, "Well, let's just say the poor bastard won't last long."

Greg smiled and took her hand, "You'll get married," he paused when Sam laughed again, "and maybe to the prince," he continued, "but the same goes for you: you can't get rid of me that easily. Your ass is mine."

Sam smiled and looked down, laughing to herself. Then, looking back at her kid brother she tilted her head and sighed for about the millionth time that night. These boys amazed her everyday. Sam gave a smile smile and squeezed his hand, and Greg returned the gesture, and then let go to grab the empty buckets of meat.

"Shall we go back to the house?"

"We shall," Sam chuckled, and they made their way back to the house where Keith had finished off all of the animal crackers.

* * *

"Seriously? She's not even that cute!" Greg whined as he watched their small television screen, curled up in the chair with his long flannel pajamas. A bowl of popcorn sat in his lap, and a completely separate one sat in the laps of Sam and Keith,curled up on Sam's lap. The three watched the screen intently, though Sam not as much considering she would much prefer to watch as Key threw popcorn pieces into Greg's mouth, and have Greg miss them everytime so that she could make fun of him.

"Oh please! That's so rude Greg, don't ever say that," Sam threw a couple pieces of popcorn at the boy as he laughed, "you're horrible! And you know what, I actually think that she's gorgeous!"

"Yeah, she was gorgeous," agreed Key, nodding his head with his eyes still on the screen, almost hypnotized. Sam laughed and ruffled the boy's hair, though he still didn't look away.

After they had gotten back from feeding the wolves, Keith reminded Sam of one especially important event that she had almost missed: the choosing of the Selected. Of course, Sam didn't really expect to get in, but at that point it didn't seem like it could hurt. Besides, if she didn't get in, no harm done. She would figure something out, but at least it wasn't to the point where this was her last chance - kind of.

As she watched the screen, her eyes drifted towards the Crown Prince. Well, the new Crown Prince. It was interesting to watch. Kalum had always seemed far off, as if he lived in another world that didn't exist; one that didn't touch her own. Of course, it didn't, but now he actually seemed real. The boy that she had practically grown up watching, who had always seemed like a statue as opposed to an actual boy, was getting married and literally being forced to put his own emotions on display. It made him seem human, she supposed, which was new. UNiformed in a standard pitch black suit that she couldn't tell apart from all the others, Sam watched as he smiled tightly, though somehow managing to make it seem effortless and comfortable. Sam could see he was anything but. He chestnut hair was slicked back onto his head, though she could tell that some of the glistening on his brow was anxiety, and the tightness of his smile was fear. She couldn't imagine what he could be going through.

Even though the main focus was on the girls, there was a small section in the corner where you could see the entire royal family - like, the _entire_ royal family. The King sat next to his wife, who was more stone than human, and managed to, for once, be quiet and civil and at least not _completely_ intoxicated. He hadn't spoken all evening, even when Baron Chamberlin - God help that poor little soul - first introduced the show. It was his first time back since the accident. Everyone knew that the King was sick, of course there was no use hiding it. That was obviously why they were having the Selection. The only strange part was who it was for.

Kole was the most interesting one to watch. The playboy prince looked more brooding rebel than anything tonight with his dark suit with matching dark shirt and tie, his hair slicked back to match his brother's, though his was darker and more of a coffee grounds sort of color. He looked like that stereotypical dark prince that you read about in fairytales. She supposed that he was, though she didn't hate him for it. Sam pitied him more than anything. The poor guy just needed a break.

"Oh oh! Look at that one! She could probably give the prince a good time.."

"Greg!" Sam looked at him in disbelief, his crudeness surprising her. The boy only shrugged saying, "What? I'm saying she looks hot!"

Sam shook her head, "Yeah? Well next time you say something that crude, I'm gonna tell Marcy from down the street that you said that! We'll see what she has to say about it..."

Greg's face paled significantly, and Key just laughed. Sam smirked.

 _You're in my house boys. I'm in charge._

Although, he wasn't wrong. The girl on the screen, Katerina Agron, was beautiful by any standards - like, drop dead beautiful. Her untamed dark brown hair that seemed to flow down her back deeply contrasted her blue-green eyes in a way that seemed almost unworldly, or rebellious. Sam couldn't tell which color they were, though they seemed to look curious as she smiled at the camera, her face lighting up at the shot. There was no doubt, this girl would be an eye-catcher.

"I agree Key…"

" _And next, from the province of Paloma, we have…"_ Vegas DeRosier stuttered for a minute, looking back down at the card incredulously, as if checking to see if she had the right name. The crowd started to stir before she picked her head back up and grinned cheekily at the camera before continuing, " _we have Lady Caihi Davilla,Two."_

The crowd on the Report was silent for a minute, but after about a minute or two broke out into reluctant cheers and hollers, no one quite sure what to do. Sam stared at the screen for a minute too, wondering where she had heard that name from…

"Wasn't that the girl who started that cult and ended up killing her friend," asked Greg, breaking the silence, "because if she was then that's going to be fun to watch!"

"Sam, why is that girl going to the palace," asked Key quietly, not really understanding what just happened, "and why won't people clap for her?"

"It's nothing sweetheart," Sam cooed, stroking his hair, "she's just pretty well-known is all."

Key nodded and sat back on the couch. Well, Sam thought, this was going to be interesting. SHe didn't even know that girls under house-arrest could sign up for the selection! How would she even find out about it… whatever. Caihi's smiling picture showed up on screen, and her appearance completely threw Sam off. Her smiling face looked anything but threatening, and her tousled balayage ombré hair paired with her ebony eyes actually made her quite attractive.

Before they knew it, five girls had already been announced. They swiftly made their way through the rest of them, choosing provinces at random to announce the selection ladies. Each girl looked even more beautiful than the one before but they all kind of blurred together in Sam's eyes. Some of them did stand out - Ilaria Beckett for instance. Her father was Stefan Beckett, the actor, and she was now apparently a lingerie designer of all things. Sam never really followed the fashion word, for she had no need to, but everyone knew the whirlwind Cinderella story of Stefan Beckett and Ilaria's mother, Soledad, a Six, just like her. It wasn't something that Sam really cared about, but seeing as Ilaria was now selected it seemed pretty interesting.

After they finished announcing the Carolina Selected, a girl named Amoriel Fawn who looked just about as innocent as her name. Key thought that she looked like a princess and Sam agreed with him. That girl legitimately looked like something out of a fairytale book.

" _And finally,"_ said Baron, taking a step forward to match Vegas, though she took another step forward to be in front of him, " _the last, but certainly not least, Selected Candidate from Bankston,"_ Key jumped up and down in Sam's lap and Greg gave her a cheeky, teasing smile, though Sam just shook her head and reached across Key to grab the popcorn bowl.

" _Lady Samantha Halloway, Six."_

And just like that, the popcorn went flying everywhere. A picture of a pale, red headed girl with hair that just screamed "I'm tired" and honey-molded eyes that said "I don't want to be here but I'm smiling anyway," appeared on the screen and she recognized herself in the shot. Her face, her cheeks, her chin, her nose, even her smile tainted by the image of her chipped canine tooth - it was there! It was on the screen!

" _Well folks, those are your Selected, and I think that it's safe to say that we've got a pretty good bunch! We'll be following the girls next week to show you their arrival at the palace and Prince Kalum can begin the journey to find his wife! Until then, goodnight Illea!"_

The tv shut off on it's own, it seemed, though Sam knew that her hand more than likely grabbed the remote. The room was quiet. Everything was still, and Sam wasn't really looking at anything or anyone. She just stared ahead, into oblivion as she processed the absolute miracle that just happened.

 _I'm going to be in the Selection._

 _I'm going to meet the Princes._

 _I could marry a Prince._

 _I'm going to have to leave the boys…_

In that moment, nothing else mattered more to her than the boy sitting in the cushioned chair diagonal to her, his eyes trained on her own before she could even look up. Picking up a surprisingly quiet Keith and placing him on the couch behind him, Sam slowly made her way over to the boy and crouched beside him.

"Are you ok," she asked, her eyes filled with apprehension, "I won't go if you don't want me to go."

Greg looked up and smiled, a true, genuine smile that told her it was ok. It said all she needed to know, even if he wouldn't tell her. But he did.

"Of course it's ok," he said kindly, in a voice that she should probably be using as the parent, "we'll be fine."

"Yes but will you-"

" _I'll_ be fine," He said, leaning over the side of the chair to grab her hand, "you don't need to worry about me Sammy. I'm doing fine. I'll be with Uncle Miles, I'll do my schoolwork, I'll watch Key, and I'll even feed the wolves for you-"

"Oh no you don't," Sam interrupted, "chill tiger, you're not there yet."

Greg groaned, "Fine, but still. It'll be alright."

He gave her a reassuring smile as she gripped his hand tighter than she ever had before. Standing, Sam turned back to Key, who watched quietly as the scene unfolded before his eyes. After a few seconds of staring blankly at the both of them, his eyes crinkled and his face broke out into a huge smile as he started chanting, " _Sammy's got a boyfriend, Sammy's got a boyfriend, Sammy's got a boyfriend,"_ and started dancing around on the couch.

Sam laughed, throwing her head back as she shook her head at the young boy's antics, but still picked him up on the couch and danced along with him, " _Sammy's got a boyfriend, Sammy's got a boyfriend, Sammy's got a boyfriend!"_

" _C'mon Greg join us!"_ Sam called for the boy and he got up without any further prompting. All three, their entire family, or what was left of it, danced on the couch, laughing a chanting, " _Sammy's got a boyfriend, Sammy's got a boyfriend, Sammy's got a boyfriend!"_

 _Yes. Apparently I do. Let's see how long he lasts._

* * *

 **Yes, I'm back. What'd you think?**

 **That is technically the first "character chapter" if you really want to term it a certain way, but I just prefer the term third person. I know that his isn't my usual writing style, considering I do it more of a first person setting and it's a completely different set of characters in all that, but I'm think that I'm going to do this person for the rest of the story! If you like it, please tell me because I'm always looking for feedback. If you hate it, that's ok too! Hate is a normal human reaction! Embrace it, and tell me! Don't be a troll, be a bitch, it's way more fun.**

 **I know that I promised this awhile ago but stuff came up, and I'm back again! Plus, summer break is coming and so I'll more than likely be posting multiple chapters a week so expect that!**

 **Also, for those of you who submitted, I have news:**

 **THERE ARE NO MAINS AND SUPPORTING!**

 **YAAAY! Fun right?! I think so. Anyway, I had trouble choosing and decided that since I loved all of my girls so much and had just enough of them, I could simply change it to third person and tell the story from multiple points of view, sometimes focusing on one particular girl, while others just basically describing what's going on in EVERYONE's heads! That's the REALLY fun part. All inclusive.**

 **So, anyway, like it or hate it, review, and tell me what you think of Sam?! I love her. Took some liberties with the boys… but love her.**

 **Anyway, end of super long author's note. Love y'all! Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**For Narnia**

Kole had always thrived in chaos. The loud, crazy, stimulating environment made him feel less like the world was closing in on him, if that made any sense. Whenever he was alone, or sitting in a quiet room, he felt like the silence ringing in his ears was going to drive him into madness. Plus, it made him feel lonely. Of course, whenever he was actually around other people, he didn't always feel inclined to speak to them, but for some reason just being around them made him feel better - like it was distracting _himself_ from _himself_.

It was for that reason that Kole strolled easily around the hallways of the palace, sauntering through the crowds of people that were racing around between rooms in preparation for the Selection. His shoulders were relaxed, swaying only the slightest bit as he swung one arm around while the the other rested easily in his pocket. A serene smile settled nicely on his face, and surprised the multitudes of people clearing a path for him. It was a very rare sight to see that sort of smile grace Prince Kole's lips - especially when his eyes didn't suggest any intoxication. It was puzzling. The man had just lost everything: his crown, his county, and his father (or at least everyone assumed he would in the near future) and here he was swaggering down the hallway in a casual, almost entirely white outfit that looked as if it should be on a frat boy taking a holiday in the Hamptons.

But Prince Kole didn't pay attention to them. As he strolled smoothly down the hallways, he felt at ease. Whether that was due to true happiness or overdue shock, no one knew, but all Kole knew was that he felt good, and he wanted to hold onto that feeling.

Looking around through the golden hallways, carpeted in red and decorated with intricate art of all different origins, Kole recognized his own family's hallway - his brother's room just beside him with a guard posted at the door.

"Good day sir," Kole slapped him on the back in good humor, laughing to himself when the guard flinched and narrowed his eyes, a bit confused, "hey, don't worry 'bout me me man, I'm just here to see my brother."

The door flung open and Kole turned swiftly to see Kal, looking like the personification of stress itself. No, it was worse. He looked like the child of stress and chaos who just got into a fit fight with anxiety.

"Well don't you just look like sunshine in a bottle," Kole quipped sarcastically, "Did you not get your full 9 hours of beauty rest?"

He exaggerated a pout and the guard beside him snickered. The glare that Kal gave him was enough to shake Caesar down to his toes and back. Hell, it could frighten his own father, which was saying a lot. Kole's laugh became uncomfortable as his brother stared him down, but nonetheless opened the door further to allow him in.

"Ok then… So I'm guessing it's been a rough morning," Kole said apprehensively, "been busy I suppose.":

"You have _no_ idea," Kal grumbled resentfully, shoving his hand back through his hair and again down his face. Kole took him in. This was probably the most unkempt that he had ever seen his baby brother, even surpassing the _one_ time that he had seen him drunk on Baron's birthday in London. His hair and eyes were only the beginning, despite looking like death itself. His typically combed chestnut curls ran in a million different directions, shielding one of his eyes even, while the other one looked to be a darker blue than the day before, courtesy of the lovely pale gray-blue circles that resided underneath. His warm ivory skin looked slightly sickly and his clothing looked even more disheveled than the rest of his appearance. Only three of the buttons on his light blue shirt were done up, and not even in the same order, while his loose khaki pants were rolled up way too short to be considered caprese and made him look like Tom Hanks from _Big_. Overall, his brother looked like shit turned over.

"So… you're getting ready for the Selection? Oh, have you looked at the forms yet," Kole grinned cheekily, trying to liven the mood, "some of them were pretty cute."

"Ugh! NO! No, Kole, I have not had time to read a bunch of random facts about my future wife!" Kalum spun around quick enough to give himself whiplash and ran his hand through his hair again, almost yanking out the follicles. "That doesn't fucking matter! I have to figure out what bed spreads each will have, and what maids they'll be assigned, and the dinner courses, and the stylists, and the first brunch, and find a way for the camera team to make their way around the palace without looking like _fucking stalkers_!"

Kal was on a rampage now, racing around the room grabbing props for emphasis and throwing them around the room as if doing an impression of his father. Kole stood there silently, watching his brother with a blank expression, just letting him vent.

"So _no, Kole,_ I have not had time to even think about my future wife because I have to figure out what color sheets she would prefer! Yes, Kole, I am stressed!" Kal finally sat down on the bed, breathing heavily, and said, "And no, I didn't get a full 9 hours," he grumbled, "I got 7."

Kole looked at him for a minute, a small smile playing on his lips, almost playfully patronizing. His head tilted to the side for a minute while he studied his brother. Kal, leaned over his legs with his head buried in his hands was still breathing heavily. He kind of looked like Kole did when he had a hangover, except he wasn't naked. Kole sighed deeply, putting both his hands in his pockets, and said, "C'mon."

Kal looked up, "What," he asked incredulously.

"Get your ass up," Kole repeated, "C'mon we're going somewhere."

Kal's eyes narrowed in confusion, but then he snapped out of it and shook his head vigorously.

"No. No, I can't go, I mean, there's so much to do and prepare for and it's not like I can just get up and leave in the middle of all-"

"Psh, sure you can! I did it all the time," Kole laughed, but Kal continued to glare. Kole sobered again and said, "Seriously, just come on! It's your Selection isn't it?"  
Kal tried to interrupt but Kole stopped him, "Yes. The answer is yes. And you know what, this is your future wife, so let's just go out and celebrate your last days of freedom! Come on, it'll be like an early bachelor party!"

"But what about everything that needs to be done here," Kal argued, finally getting up and walking over to where Kole was standing, "I can't just leave it in chaos!"

"Then leave it to Madame Juno! You know how she loves to handle this stuff - it'll be fine in her hands," Kole looked at Kal expectantly. His brother needed a break - he was practically dying - and he needed a break. Kole knew this. In fact, he had been a subject to it at a younger age and Kal had helped him by doing the same thing. That's why he knew _exactly_ where he would be taking him. Kal sighed, running his hand back through is hair, again, for about the thousandth time, and shrugged his shoulders.

"Fine," he said, "just let me get changed."

"Nah, you're fine," Kole reassured, grabbing his shoulder and leading him out of the room as quick as he could, only reaching for his shoes on the way out, "It's not like we're going anywhere special. Or public."

Kal looked at him, confused. "But I thought you said-"  
"You _thought_ ," corrected Kole, "you _thought_ , but maybe that's not what we're doing! Maybe we're going somewhere different."

Kal looked at him suspiciously but didn't say a word. Instead, he grabbed his shoes from Kole and stumbled through the hallway putting them on as Kole shoved past workers trying to lead Kal to wherever he wanted to go. Everyone stared in disbelief at the disheveled prince, thinking to themselves: " _Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?"_ As they sprinted down the steps like children playing tag, Kole lost track of who he was running by, so when he turned and found that Kal was no longer around him, it took him a minute to make out Baron Chamberlin's face in the crowd of people.

"Bear! Hey man, where have you been, haven't seen you all week," Kole exclaimed, sauntering over to wear Baron was standing with a heaving Kal.

"Um, fine, I guess," Baron responded laughing at the two, "where the hell are you guys going, you looked like my little cousins or something."

"I have no… idea…," heaved Kalum, side-eyeing Kole, who just sat there smiling like a madman, "Ask him."

Baron turned to Kole who simply smiled wider and said, "Well why don't you come with us and find out?"

It was like one of those old kids books - like Chicken Little, or the Ugly Duckling - where they just kept meeting people and inviting them to come along on their long quest to find out where the hell Kole was taking them. They did meet a couple of guards that they were each friends with and some maids that Kole was friends with and invited them to come along, but none of them did. Even Nixon, surprisingly to Kole, turned them down. It was probably because they were sprinting around the halls of the palace like a bunch of 2nd graders, and no one was really brave enough to sprint around the enormous castle with a bunch of nobles. Understandable, really.

"God, you guys are so slow, just run! We're almost there," Kole shouted back to Kalum and Baron, both of whom were already out of breath, though Baron had a bit more leeway since he joined later.

"We're… trying," Baron huffed, "Seriously Kole, where... the hell… are we going…"

"Yeah, and can we walk there," questioned Kalum, breathing just as hard as his friend.

"You guys are so pathetic," Kole laughed out loud, though he knew they weren't - he just had the advantage from running everyday. "Yeah, sure we can walk."

The two lingering young men breathed a deep sigh of relief as they slowed down to a jog, almost tripping over each other, and Kole fell back with them. It was only then that Kal had a chance to look around to see where they were; a chance to see where they were going.

"We're in the old gardens," breathed Kal softly, though more out of exhaustion than reverence.

Kole nodded and the three continued silently for a little while, Kole leading them through the expansive overgrowth of trees. The old garden, though unkempt and ungroomed, were just as beautiful, if not more so, than the palace gardens that Kalum and Kole were _allowed_ to play in as children. Still, that didn't stop them from sneaking past the guards and ducking into the overgrowth whenever they got the chance. Sometimes, they would even come out at midnight to explore the grounds, pretending that they were wizards performing some spell that would only work in their secret castle, way beyond the forest. Every tree looked familiar to Kalum, despite year of neglect. He imagined that it was the same for Kole, and for Baron, who spent almost every summer with them at the palace and traveled with them on many a great expedition through the dark wood. The nostalgia of the moment was overcoming, and Kalum was left speechless as they made their way around the looming tree trunks with ropes of ivy wound around them like the art decorating the walls of the palace.

Every now and then, they would come upon an old bridge or stream or ruin of some sort. There would be an outpost around every mile or so; old houses for the guards to keep watch on the grounds. Baron walked behind the princes in a daze, the memories coming back to him of all their travels through these woods - the places that they went. It was when he first decided that he wanted to get out. It was when he first decided that he didn't want it to be just a dream anymore, but a reality. Each tree, marked with a certain sign acted as a barrier between lands, and while Kole, Kalum, and even Vegas would pretend to rule over the kingdoms, Baron would be the messenger;the traveler. Boy, did he love that.

"Here we are," Kole stopped abruptly, surprising his companions, "here's your surprise. DO you like it?"

Kalum gasped. The towering mass of broken stone and rubble stirred memories of god and glory within the young man, suddenly feeling like a young boy. The intricate designs decorating the grand atrium shone through the destruction and brought out eh glass windows, some shattered but beautiful in the way that a rose was beautiful. The ivy winding around the trees seemed to move in slithering motions along the rubble, framing the artwork on the building rather than suffocating it. The ivy only added to the ancient, glorious beauty of the building, and Kalum could only stare at the magnificence that was his childhood. Taking a few steps in front of his friend and brother, Kalum gazed at the building in amazement. Nothing had changed since they were last here. Nothing except…

"I can't believe this old place is still here! You'd think that after finding a rat infestation in the outposts they would tear down this part of the gardens."

And, the moment was over. Kalum closed his eyes and shook his head, more out of amusement than frustration and turned to see that Vegas DeRosier had come out from the shadows after following them. He smiled at her, and she smiled back with her typical cheeky, sardonic smirk.

"Hello boys."

Baron groaned as he turned to see the blonde, standing behind them with her hip cocked to one side and her arms crossed as she stood gazing in similar awe at the building before them. She looked casual - more casual than they had seen her in years - yet still stylish with her loose, faded army green shorts hanging on her slender legs and similar long sleeve sweater rolled up and tucked in, but otherwise hanging past her shorts. Instead of heels, she wore old converse that none of them had seen in years, and despite her clothes, she still had her long hair tousled perfectly and her lips evenly shaded red. She looked like how most girls would strive to, and yet she did it effortlessly, and Baron couldn't stop staring when he saw her.

"Close your mouth, boy," she smirked, looking back down at him, "you'll catch flies - or whatever infestation they have at this ancient tomb."

"Atrium," Kole corrected with a groan, "and if you didn't want to find out then maybe you shouldn't have come," he said with a false smile. Vegas returned it without pause, and upon that comment, she straightened herself up and walked forward past the stunned boys with purpose, into overgrown ivy, unveiling a shattered panel glass door that she opened with ease. She turned back to them before going in.

"Well? Are you coming?"  
Kalum looked back at his two companions. Baron, who looked conflicted returned his gaze and shrugged, but didn't dare move. Kole, who had gotten over the initial shock of seeing his old girlfriend/childhood friend at the sight of their "bachelor party," sighed and was the first to follow. Kal followed in suit, and Baron, after a couple minutes of wrestling with his emotions, made the decision to go along with the others, racing into the ivy that he hadn't seen for almost 15 years.

"Glad you decided to join us," Vegas quipped, not looking back at Baron who sidled beside Kalum. He sneered, but didn't respond as they all followed their late entry into the old halls of the palace atrium. Their footsteps were silenced by the ivy carpeting the old marble floors, and none dare to make a sound as they looked around the entrance to their old hideaway. The bright, airy room that was doused in sunlight from the open roof that gave the grand hall a misty feeling of antiquity as well as adventure. Old sheets covering the furniture surrounding the room gave off thickening dust, visible and floating peacefully through the waves of sunlight. None wanted to disrupt the equilibrium that the room had attained, but everyone wanted to go beyond it, so they moved forward towards the hallway that was most familiar to them, passing dead roses and blooming weeds on their way through. Strangely, the sight seemed even more beautiful than before when the roses bloomed in the untinted sunlight. Not to Kalum though. No, Kal prefered the untouched flowers in their youth.

"Hey," Kole nudged his brother, "what do you think? I mean, I was kind of just _hoping_ that this place would be here - it's been so long," he chuckled softly to himself as Kal looked at him in amazement, "it looks better than ever."

"Ha, yeah," Kal laughed, snapping out of his daze, "it looks like aged wine or something," he said, keeping his true thoughts to himself.

Their group weaved around an old fountain pool, long decayed by age and covered thickly with algae and lily pads. Fake palms that used to decorate the area around it were stained and withered, but only added to the allure of the room. Vegas jumped up on the edge of the shallow pool, frightening a couple of the boys, and kneeled to douse her hand in the murky water.

"Wha- what they _hell_ are you doing," Baron exclaimed in surprise, "that water hasn't been touched in like 15 years! It's probably, like, infected or something!"

"Oh relax you pussy," Vegas retorted, pushing her hand further into the slime, "I'm just checking something."

"Checking what?" Baron looked at her incredulously, and Vegas only smirked. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she pulled her hand smoothly out of the water with something in tow. The others looked closely to see what it was, but they couldn't quite make it out through the green algae coating Vegas' hand. So, she jumped off of the ledge and walked steadily over to where Baron and Kole were standing and both hands on both of their shirts while Kalum stood back and laughed.

"Hey!" Baron exclaimed indignantly, while Kole just sat there and let her finish. While over the years Baron had only become more and more prone to Vegas' abuse, Kole had gotten used to it and just kind of learned that it was better to let her do whatever the hell she wanted because they had been friends for so long. After 20 years, resistance became fruitless.

When her hands were clean, she took the small object out of her hands and wiped it on Baron's shirt alone, much to his irritation. Taking it out and holding it up, everyone could finally see what Vegas had been after.

"I can't believe it's still here after all these years," Baron broke the silence softly, staring at the silver key ring from which dangled a simply crafted silver _key._

"I had forgotten that it even existed," Kole joined in, staring at it just as intently, "how did you remember where it was?"

Vegas shrugged. "I don't know. Feminine nostalgia I suppose. I'm more in touch with my feelings," she said, and Baron snorted. Vegas directed a glare at him and clasped the key back in her hands, shoving it into her back pocket.

"C'mon," Kole said, walking forward and gesturing for them to follow, "I think I remember where that key goes."

Vegas rolled her eyes. "We all do Indiana Jones - I just reminded you idiots."

Kole glared at her in return but continued forward into the hallway opposite the fountain. The entryway that forked into three separate halls hid from the airy sunlight in the main room and used to thrill the four of them as children. Now, 15 years later, it still felt like they were going on a grand adventure. All of them following Kole in a straight line, they creeped their way down a spiraling staircase to the right, the stone walls absent of ivy or plant life of any sort as the stone enveloped them in a coat of darkness that thrilled more than it frightened.

"Ow! Watch your step dumbass," Vegas' voice protruded through the black, "Baron I know that was you."

"I'm in front of you!"

"Ok, good, now I know where you are."

Baron paused, causing her to slam into his back, and Kal following suit. "What?"

Vegas groaned, "When we were little! We used to come down here and you would constantly trio or stop or just go down a separate path. Like, you were the _worst_ at staying with a group! I want just making sure you had actually grown up since you were 10 years old," she said, shooing him forward, "Now move! You're holding up the group!"

Baron moved forward on command, not making any further comments at what Vegas has said. He wasn't really sure what to say… whether he should be offended that she thought him flighty or something - or, the fact that she remembered that small detail from when they were 10 year olds. It wasn't that he didn't remember - because he did, oh he did - but he didn't think that she remembered. And whether he should be offended or flattered, a soft, slight smile settled on his face nonetheless as he continued down the path and was the first to see a light at the end under the door.

"Guys! We're here," he said, running ahead of the others to the light at the end of the tunnel, "Vegas - the key."

Vegas sidled up beside him and gave him the key as they all pressed against the towering wooden door. Baron held his breath as the simple, unadorned key slid into the hole and clicked with ease. Turning the enormous knob on the door, and pushing on it with all of their body weight to open 15 years of rust, the door swung open and the four fell through as if in a child's novel, entering upon a world that had only graced dreams of memories, or memories of dreams.

"It looks like it hasn't aged a day," Baron breathed, "like it was caught in time."  
"Um, agree to disagree," Kole laughed, "I don't think that the cobwebs were here before."

Kalum was the last to exit the tunnel and step into the towering, grand hall with light pouring out of ceiling, just as it had been in the atrium upstairs. All four stood in awe on the edge of the enormous, cavern-like room and into the pool of water below. Three stories of protruding balconies towered above them and below them, with ivy similar to upstairs draping from each like banners. Tiled floors with designs of faded royal blues and yellows covered the halls encircling the great pool and all the floors, with clay walls that used to be decorated with stories. The room was grander than any room in the palace to them, for it's ancient majesty had been revered by them long before the palace had. It was all familiar to them, but in the way that a dream is familiar when you first wake up. Vegas was the first to break the silence, walking forward to the edge of the balcony, the expansive pool with it's colorful floor below her. She began to undress.

"Well? Are you coming," she turned back and asked the boys for the second time that afternoon. All three of them, even Baron, gave her a true and genuine smile and began to undress alongside her.

"Oh my lord… I can't believe we're back here," Kalum said in awe, "I will say that the water doesn't look as clear anymore," he and the others looked down into the murky water.

"Screw it," Vegas said clearly and without reservation. She now stood in her black, lacy underwear that none of the boys (except for Baron) really cared about after 20 years of friendship, and stepped up onto the two story balcony, turning around to face them.

" _Pedicabo! Eam!"  
_ And with that, Vegas fell into the murky green water, breaking it into waves and splashing the now clear water into the air, prompting the boys to look at each other and follow suit.

" _Woohooo!"_ Kole made a cannonball into the water and Kal did the same, both falling on top of each other and touching the bottom of the pool that once seemed never ending to them as kids. Baron jumped in finally and landed in the dead center of all of them, coming up sputtering but with a smile on his face, his dirty blonde hair covering his eyes. All of them laughed at the expression on his face and he joined in after about a minute and dove back into the water before coming up behind Kole and dunking him under the water.

Kole came up sputtering, "What the hell," and then began laughing again, his dark brown eyes lighting up his face in a way that they hadn't in a long time.

"Oh God, this feels so nice," Kalum sighed as he floated on his back in the water, looking up through the glass ceiling, covered with leaves that casted shadows on the pool.

"I know," Kole smirked, "So… you like your bachelor party?"  
"Is that what this was supposed to be," Vegas asked, swimming up next to them, "Seriously? Oh, c'mon Kole, you can do better than this!" She gestured around widely with her hands, "you get one shot at throwing your baby brother a bachelor party and taking him to his childhood hideout is your grand idea? I expected better from you. At least have a stripper dancing on one of the balconies or something!"  
Kal sputtered and Kole laughed, "Yeah, well, I have you here," and he wiggled his eyebrows at her. Baron was the next to sputter and they all laughed at that.

Vegas turned to Baron, her eyes predatory, and she smiled her cheeky, seductive grin and said, "What do you think Baron," in an innocent voice, "would you like that?"

Vegas swam up next to him and put one hand on his bare chest, broad and firm, she notices, and the other on his face to wipe away the water from his eyes. She did this for no other reason than to get on his nerves, as she always did, but for some reason it felt different this time. This time, he was holding her as well. When she looked up into his eyes, they were sparkling at her own in a way that she hadn't seen before. His hands tightened on her hips and for once in her life she was surprised by an action of Baron's. Usually, she was able to predict this sort of thing, but the bold move on Baron's part was completely new territory. She blushed when one of his large hands moved around her waist while the other traced it's way up her spine, sending a shiver down her back. Before she could utter a single word, or more likely a moan, the hand on her upper back grabbed her around her shoulders and shoved her under the water!

All three of the boys died laughing as Vegas struggled to resurface, and when Baron finally let her up after messing up her hair, she came up gasping and spitting water in all different directions trying to get at least one of them in the eyes. Kole slapped Baron on the back and Baron jumped on him in the way that guys do and drowned him as well. Kalum tried to help Vegas but she only spit water at him as she wiped her eyes of her smeared mascara and splashed him with water. They wrestled and splashed and chased each other all throughout the expansive pool and into the caverns beneath the balconies.

For 5 hours, or what they assumed to be such, they splashed and played in the water, racing back and forth between the opposite ends of the pool and exploring the caverns. Occasionally, they would get out and walk around the floors and balconies, jumping off each one and seeing who can make the biggest splash. They had competitions to see who could stay under the water the longest, and played and played "chicken wars" as Kole called it, though no one knew why, and got on each others shoulders to wrestle. They all shared a laugh when Kole was forced to get on Kalum's shoulders and Baron on Vegas', as she insisted. Neither lasted long and they switched soon after.

It felt like nothing had changed, though they all knew that it had. The games, the laughs, the entire room was the same. The four friends lost themselves in the past and in nostalgia, Kal most of all, and spent their time inadvertently reminiscing in what they had lost, and what they yearned to have back again. Hours past and soon the pool lighting dimmed and it became almost pitch black, besides the light of the moon that danced on the water, now cleared by the newcomers. Sitting by the edge of one of the highest balconies, they all sat up and looked at the moon, Vegas stretched across all of them with her head resting on Baron's lap. It hadn't been like this in years. They laughed and joked together as they watched the moon move ever glacially across the glass sky.

After the laughter died and a moment of silence settled upon them, Vegas sighed and said, "You know, I kinda miss this."

Baron nodded in agreement, "Yeah. Adulting sucks." They all laughed in unison and became silent again. No one really wanted to say what they all knew: they had to go back. Kal least of all of them. Kole lounged on his back next to him while Kal leaned back on his hands to look at the moon.

 _Why couldn't it just be like this,_ he thought, _when Kole was prince?_

The question plagued his mind and tainted his happiness in just the slightest before Kole got up and groaned, "Ok, I think it's time to go back into the wardrobe."  
Vegas looked at him, confused. "What?"

"The wardrobe," Kalum looked at her expectantly, as if it was obvious, "from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe? Narnia?"

"Ohhhh," Baron and Vegas nodded, "yeah, you two were obsessed with that book when you were younger! I remember, you used to make little, nerdy jokes about this being Narnia all the time," said Vegas, laughing, "God, you were both such dorks! Well, you still are Kal…"  
"Hey!" Kal laughed, "This is coming from the girl who quoted Marilyn Monroe at any chance she got when we were like 5!"

"Yeah, but I don't do it anymore," Vegas defended, "and it's not like that was _so_ weird! Marilyn was an American Icon and practically a hotter, sluttier version of Audrey Hepburn! That's not so nerdy!"

"Ok, um, a)," Baron interjected, putting his finger up as if to count off, "you actually quoted Marilyn on the report _last week_ and multiple times after that - you just didn't say 'Marilyn Monroe' after you said it - and b) that _was_ so weird!"

Vegas rolled her eyes, "Ok, well, quoting Narnia and pretending that this old pile of rocks is some magical wardrobe is still weirder than that. Kal," she pointed at Kal, "you're still just as weird if not weirder, and Kole," she turned to the older prince, "well, Kole you've improved slightly but you're still weird."

Kole laughed, "Yeah, weird's a better term than one I would use," and suddenly the room was silent. "So," Kole said, standing, "should we go?"

"Yeah, just let me go get my clothes," said Vegas, getting off Baron's lap, "or would you like to see this for a little longer?"  
Kalum and Baron answered no at the same time that Kole answered yes and Vegas smirked mysteriously through the moonlight at them and sauntered away laughing. Baron followed to go get his own jeans and t-shirt, leaving the two princes alone in silence.

"So I take it you liked your surprise?" Kole looked over at Kal out of the side of his eye.

Kalum shrugged, appearing disinterested, "yeah," he said distantly, "it was alright." Then he turned his head to Kole and smirked, telling him that he was joking. "No, it was amazing. Thank you."

"Eh, I do what I can," Kole said, starting to walk past Kal around the pool to the other side, "I'm just glad you're not freaked out anymore. Honest to whatever satan you believed in, you looked like freaking Dr. Brown from Back to the Future."

Kal laughed and followed his brother, "Wow, you're really embracing your inner nerd tonight aren't you."

"I'm deeply offended," Kole said dryly, "the very reason you are so stressed tonight is _because_ I thought you were more of a nerd than was."

Kal looked at him immediately. He didn't think that Kole would bring it up, but now that he did…

"So, is that really the reason you gave up the crown? Because you thought I was good, or you thought you weren't good _enough_?"

KOle groaned, "Seriously, Kal, let's not get into this tonight, ok? We had a good time tonight and-"  
"You brought it up!"  
"I was joking," Kole shot back, "and I really don't want to talk about it!"  
"Well too bad because I do," Kal said suddenly, stepping in front of his older brother, irritating him, "look, I know that you've been struggling - really, I do. I know that… well I know that you're scared of becoming your father, but you're not him Kole! You're really not," Kal insisted, trying to reason with Kole, but the more he spoke, the more intense Kole's glare became. "The guy that I saw just smiling and swaying down the hallways his morning; the guy that was so excited to show me some old piece of our childhood that I had all but forgotten; the guy that laughed and joked with his old friends about simple things without an ounce of alcohol in his system; that guy is you! That guy isn't your father Kole - that's you."

Kal finished his rampage, taking a deep breath at the end, awaiting Kole's reaction. His voice had echoed through the cavernous room, so Baron and Vegas watched the scene unfold from the other side of the pool, all dressed and ready to go but apprehensive as to whether they would be traveling together or in two separate groups - or whether they would just be leaving with 3 instead. Kole looked steadily at Kal, his eyes no longer filled with anger or resentment, but with sadness, and even pain. Kole closed his eyes and took a deep breath in.

"This isn't Narnia, Kal," he said slowly, as if he was talking to his kid brother again at 3 years old, "I'm not Peter Pevensey, and this is not actually another world, as much as we would like to believe it," he sighed, "this is an escape, just like all the others that I have, and just like all the others, it's not real. Once I leave, I will not have grown or lived an entire life in here, but I will still be the same person I always was. In the end, that's all this is."

He attempted to go around Kal, but Kal stopped him, "But-"

"No, Kal, no 'buts'," spoke Kole, softly and quietly, "you can't compare this to real life. You can't make this fairytale come true."

And this time, when he went to step around him, Kalum did not stop him. After watching all of this unfold, Baron and Vegas looked at each other a little warily and slowly began to gather their things. Kole and Kalum got dressed in silence and held their shoes as they began their ascent up the winding staircase, seemingly even darker than before. When they reached the top and the mucky green fountain, Vegas stepped back up and dropped the key back in the water where she found it and led the three boys out of the atrium and into the dark forest. On their way back through the atrium though, Kalum looked back at the roses and weeds growing by the entrance and sneered, walking faster out. The weeds seemed to dance along the walls while the roses simply sat there and decayed.

 _Beautiful,_ Kalum sneered, _who would ever describe dying roses as beautiful._

Little to his knowledge, Kole was thinking the same thing, though he would never tell Kalum.

* * *

 **Ok, do you comprehend how rare this is? Two chapters in less than a week? I'm proud of myself. Yo should be too because this won't happen often… I don't think.**

 **Anyway! What did you think? This chapter was a lot of fluff before the selection started, because next chapter we're meeting the girls at the palace! I'm not doing makeovers or any stuff like that because I personally think that it's pointless, so let's just say that between now and the next chapter all the girls are beautified.**

 **So… I don't really think I have much else to say! Great, well, ok I'm just going to say one thing: please please PLEASE review! If you don't review on any other chapter (that is not, I repeat NOT an excuse to do so) just at least review on this chapter! I worked really hard on it and it's actually the one I had the most fun writing! Next one will probably surpass it, but you'll find out why later *wink wink***

 **Ok, I'm done, BYE!**


	6. Chapter 6

**For Sleeping Beauty**

"Are you sure it looks ok? It doesn't look too…"  
"Jesus, you sound like a girl!" Kole came up behind his younger brother, standing in front of the mirror and straightening his coat. "If you actually want any of these girl to like you then stop complaining like you're one of them."

Kal glared at him in the mirror and fidgeted with his silk handkerchief. It had been only two days ago that they ventured out into the old gardens for Kalum's "bachelor party" and in all honesty he felt better afterwards. The fight between him and Kole was soon forgotten when the girl's arrived at the palace and Kal was forced to watch them walk through the looming front doors. By that point, he didn't really care whether Kole was pissed with him or not, or even that this was supposed to be his Selection. The fact was that despite any future efforts made eventually to establish Kole as the true King, the Selection was a pressing matter that required his attention at present.

Everyone had been getting ready in their own ways for the palace guests. Queen Jezebel had rearranged Kalum's schedule to make up for his time spent with the candidates. She was also conducting a number of press releases detailing history on the girls, how the palace was getting ready for their arrival, and most importantly, the King's current state throughout all of this. Kole was not mentioned in any of these reports.

Otherwise, the palace had organized everything else. After Kole told Madame Juno - who had always favored the elder prince - that Kal was becoming overwhelmed with all of the preparations, she made sure that all Kalum had to do was decide what he wanted to do for the first interviews.

That was easy: the gardens. The best way to calm Kal's nerves was to have the meetings in the gardens.

"Ok, you want my opinion," Kole asked, leaning back on Kal's bed, still looking at him in the mirror.

"Yes!"  
Kole smirked, "I think you look _sexy_."

Kal groaned and rolled his eyes, but Kole could see in the mirror that his shoulders straightened and a slight grin played on his lips. Kole smiled at his brother, pride swelling in his chest as he watched Kal straighten his blue blazer over his crisp white shirt. His hair wasn't slicked back as usual, but rather his waves were simply combed out to make him look more suave than boyish. His blue eyes twinkled with nervous excitement, and he rolled back and forth on the balls of his feet - his tell. As Kole studied him, pride turned to something else and for some reason, as he gazed at his brother, the new crown prince, he found himself reaching into his coat pocket and drawing out a silver flask that he hadn't made use of in the recent days. Today was different though. While he might have fooled himself into thinking that everything was fine before, he still took a quick swig of the bitter liquid. When Kal looked back at his brother to see why he was so quiet, he didn't miss a beat.

"No," Kal walked swiftly over to the bed and snagged the flask out of Kole's hand just as he was about to take another sip, "not today."

Kal took the flask over to the dumbwaiter in the corner of his room and threw it down the hole without a second thought. Turning back around to his brother who was looking at him with his mouth hanging open, he gave him a stern glare and Kole narrowed his eyes, but didn't say a word. He felt himself getting angry with Kal, though he knew that he truly had no reason to be, but kept quiet as Kal stepped back over to the mirror to finish combing his hair.  
"You saw father today," Kal stated. It wasn't a question. Kal knew that Kole had been avoiding the hospital wing for the past few days, and he also knew that during that time Kole had not had a single drink. There could be only one reason for this.

"I did," Kole sighed, standing up.

"And," Kal looked back at him, attempting to keep his voice steady, "What happened?"

Kole shrugged and pursed his lips, "Nothing really… he just laid there. I mean, It's not like I expected him to do anything."  
"But you saw him."

"I saw him," Kole nodded in confirmation. The room fell into an awkward silence as Kal continued to comb his hair without reason and Kole fidgeted with the picture frames lining Kal's room. "So," Kole spoke up again, "I'll see you at the party?"  
"Unfortunately," Kal exhaled deeply and turned to his brother, "Don't be late. I need you there-"

"For my extensive knowledge of the female mind," Kole smirked. Kal gave him a look, "For moral support," he clarified.

Kole nodded quickly and smiled, holding two thumbs up, trying to make up for the awkward moment before, "You got it." He turned to leave.

"And Kole," Kal called and his brother pivoted on his heels to face him again, "I don't think I have to tell you this… but, um… well I need you to-"  
"To stay away from the drinks?"  
Kole gazed evenly at Kal and, rather meekly, Kal nodded. Kole simply gave a quick smile, though Kal thought his eyes looked sad, and said "Absolutely. I won't cause problems."

And before Kal could say anything further, Kole turned and left the room, giving a quick "Good luck," on the way out. Stepping swiftly through the door and closing it behind him, Kole stood on the other side and breathed deeply. He felt himself getting hot and shrugged off his pale tan coat and rolled his crisp white sleeves up, making his way down the hallway towards the gardens. His hair had been slicked back prior to the event, but walking down the hall and thinking back to his conversation with Kal, he felt compelled to run his hand back through it to bring out the repressed curls. He knew that Kal didn't mean it - well, he did mean it - but Kal was stressed and to his credit he had seen a drunk Kole one too many times over the years, especially during parties such as this. Still… it was always hard to hear.

As the elder prince made his way down the hallway, his hands naturally gravitated towards his chest where a silver flask would typically reside. However, upon remembering the moment before when it had been confiscated, he begrudgingly shoved his hands into his pockets, grumbling something about finding time to yank the stick out of his brother's ass. The halls were clear, aside from the occasional guard marking a selected room when he reached the second floor, and for some reason he found himself dodging the staircase downstairs towards the gardens. Instead, he headed in the opposite direction, up the stairs until he reached the fifth and final floor besides the roof. He didn't really know where he was going all the while, but when he did reach the floor, he felt comforted looking out over the expanse of land that he had always found so comforting.

The fifth floor was not a reserved area. In fact, it wasn't even marked off or hidden in any way, shape, or form. The fact was, it lacked any form of entertainment or leisure. With the king often residing in his rooms, the queen in her office or in meetings, and Kal often with her or in the gardens, it was essentially left to Kole alone to enjoy. Of course, he had tried to bring others up there before, and Kal seemed to enjoy it, but when given the choice he would always choose to go to the gardens for his privacy and peace. Baron had come up with them, but he got bored staying in one place for too long and when there was nothing there for him to explore besides a couple of dusty balconies and one large, carpeted golden room, he was not easily persuaded to stay. Kole had brought Vegas up once when they had been dating, but after about one minute of standing in the center of the grand room, she looked at him directly, said she was bored, and left. Clearly, the floor (although it was more like an extended ballroom since it hardly covered the extent of singular wing) was for Kole's use alone.

That's why he was surprised to see the sleeping girl lying peacefully on the floor of the balcony, her caramel curls framing her serene face and tickling her nose. The girl scrunched her nose slightly, like a child dreaming, and her head lolled over to the other side, sweeping her hair aside and revealing what to Kole was like an angelic encounter. The prince could do nothing but stand in the archway and gape at the image before him.

Adorning the caramel clouds on her head, a rosy flower crown rested easily above her brow and reminded Kole of a forest fairy he had once seen in a Shakespearean play. It looked like it belonged there, like the flowers were weaved and sewed into the curls. A petal broke off and swayed in rhythm on the breeze and settled gracefully on the white lace of her dress. The pearly color of the dress as it fanned out around her reminded him of a wedding gown, though it was clearly a sun dress. Still, as he gazed at her sleeves slipping slowly down her shoulders, her pink heels tied up in ribbons, and the wreath of flowers crowning her hair, he couldn't help but think of how much she looked like his mother did on her wedding day. Only more beautiful with rosy cheeks, ivory skin, honeyed lips, and a thick curtain of lashes shading two gems that he yearned to gaze into. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to know what her eyes looked like and what it would be like to gaze into them before kissing her alluring lips. A slight smile played on them and he wanted to know what she was dreaming of to make her smile; wanting to know what he could do to make her smile with her eyes open.

And, as if her delicate and dreamlike beauty wasn't enough to convince him that she was an angel (or a disney princess), resting on her chest that rose and fell in unison with her breathing, a miniature _pygmy goat_ of all things wore a matching flower crown that fit his size on his head, though it kept slipping down around his ears. Her arms were wrapped protectively around the tiny animal and Kole could not help but stare in speechless wonder at the pair before him.

His eyes were wide, but his mouth hung wider. His hands had long left his pockets and instead hung limp at his sides. Though he tried to tear his eyes away, or at least move his feet so he could _walk_ away, he was left motionless at the archway, gaping in wonder at the sleeping beauty.

 _Yes. That's exactly what she is. A Sleeping Beauty. A princess._

Finally, Kole shook his head and dragged his hands down his face, clearing his mind and looking back at the sleeping girl. For a minute, he thought about waking her up, but took too long considering how to do it without scaring her. His presence alone had caused the goat to stir and look up at the prince in a sleepy daze. Kole saw this and for a minute was still overcome by the ridiculous image of the goat in the flower crown, but swiftly forgot the lunacy when the goat began to bleat loudly, surprising Kole and causing the girl to stir.

" _BLLAAAAAAGGHHHH!"_

" _Shhhhh,"_ Kole tried to quiet the goat, quickly crouching down next to him and the girl in an attempt to lull him back to sleep, "Shut _up_ you stupid sheep!"

But suddenly, he wasn't paying any attention to the obnoxiously loud goat, and instead stumbled back as the girl outstretched her arms, the way any girl would hope to wake up, as she made it look like Cinderella in the old Disney movie or, more accurately to the circumstances, Sleeping Beauty. She gave a huge yawn, somehow managing to make it look ladylike, and straightened the rosy flower crown slipping off her head. Her eyes fluttered open and immediately looked at Kole. The prince was speechless.

They were every color of blue imaginable. Well, at least they were to Kole. He couldn't decide, as he studied them, if they matched the skies above them or the seas in the distance. He couldn't decide whether the whites near the center were clouds, floating peacefully through the dreamland she had just left, or the sea foam crashing majestically along the shore of her own little world. He was forced to return to reality when she snapped her fingers - slight and dainty he noted - in front of his eyes. He blinked and looked back at her.

"Oh my goodness gracious," she gasped, covering her mouth with her hands, "I am so sorry! That was so rude- I mean, I really didn't mean it- well, I do, er, did, but you were just looking at me really intently and I was trying to talk and it was getting awkward and-"

She just babbled on endlessly while Kole gawked at her. Usually, he would be annoyed by this long ramble of an apology, but with her it was suddenly adorable and charming.

"Um, I'm sorry, but were you watching me sleep?"

When Kole attempted to respond, only opening his mouth slightly, she stopped him dead in his tracks with yet another gasp.

"Oh gosh, I'm just being so rude right now! You know, just, um, forget I asked that - it would've made it weird and that would've just been super uncomfortable and I don't want that, especially since I don't really know you and-" she gasped again, "Oh my koalas!"

Her eyes widened and she stumbled to her feet, only to bend her back leg in one of the most graceful curtsies he had ever seen, and she just sat there for about a minute. It was a strange position considering he was still on the ground so she was technically above him. He still gazed at her, eyes wide, but when he finally tried to speak again, she stood.

"Prince Kole, I am so sorry, I can't believe that I was so rude to a prince," she blushed furiously and ducked her head like a child in shame, "I was just waiting up here and I don't know if I'm supposed to be here or not but I got up so early and I was so bored waiting for brunch in my room-" she gasped again, standing straight up now, her goat standing at her feet. "Brunch!"

She directed a fearful gaze at him and asked, "What time is it?"

He tried to respond again-

"Oh never mind - I'm so sorry about all of this but I have to go I can't be late again! That madame whoever scares me and I think she might actually murder me if I'm not there on time-" She was speaking to herself at this point as she hurriedly gathered the miniature goat in her arms and picked up a small spiral notebook that he hadn't realized was there in the first place. "C'mon Mr. Macaron," she said to the goat as she straightened his flower crown, and she then quickly turned to Kole, "I'm sorry your highness!"

And before he could say another word (or even his first word) she ran away, down the stairs and away from Kole's wondrous gaze.

The prince looked after her and into the empty stairway for a full two minutes before shaking his head, yet again, standing up, dusting himself off, and looking _back_ to where the Sleeping Beauty had retreated.

 _What just happened?_

* * *

Amoriel Fawn Lafayette was no stranger to tardiness. It wasn't like it was in her control, or like she _tried_ to be late! It wasn't like she was proud of the fact, but it was a fact nonetheless and it wasn't serving her well in this particular instance. It also didn't help that she chose to _fall asleep_ in an area of the palace she wasn't quite sure if she was supposed to be in, and then overslept so that she became late for the very first event of the Selection! Honestly! She was supposed to be meeting the prince today! Well, she did technically meet the prince, she supposed, but not really the correct one for that moment.

As she jogged down the never-ending halls of the elaborate palace holding her goat, Mr. Macaron, in her arms, she realized that she wouldn't have a good excuse for Madame Juno when she did arrive at the garden!

" _Oh, I'm so sorry for being late to the party introducing me to my possible future husband! I fell asleep in an area of the palace that's probably restricted, with my goat that I'm not supposed to have with me right now, insulting the Prince of Illea/brother of my kind-of boyfriend."_

Well, maybe not that last part, but the other two things didn't sound too good either. As she walked out the glass doors of the palace that opened to the expansive gardens, she became a bit less anxious about being tardy. The plush green grass calmed her nerves and the flowers, dotting the beds and bushes in full bloom almost distracted her enough to forget the party altogether in favor of making another flower crown for Mr. Macaron. She walked with more serenity and confidence as they approached the cobblestone path that led to the party. She had been instructed to follow it yesterday, and to be there 20 minutes before the royal family so that Madame Juno could prep them on more proper etiquette around the princes and the Queen. The King wouldn't be attending, but that was to be expected… no one thought he would and no one complained.

Amore shook her head to clear her thoughts, not wanting to be brought down again or be more anxious than necessary. She saw a small wooden bridge lined with a string of roses, weaved together and giving the bridge a mystical appearance. Amore smile to herself, the full force of her pearly white beam making Mr. Macaron bleat in excitement as they crossed the bridge and into the party that was already in full swing.

"Wow," Amore breathed, looking around the clearing. It was like a fairytale in and of itself.

The trees were draped with banners of flowers of all different sizes and colors, though most of them were roses. Small cocktail tables dotted the luminous grass and we're strategically placed around the flower beds that were lined with winding tables of food - color coordinated she noticed. A grand and shimmering duck pond with a fountain near the end was the center of the party around which everything revolved, and surrounding the fountain were statues of warring gods, Amore supposed. She blushed as she always did when she saw naked statues such as these and directed her attention elsewhere in the party. Girls chatted vividly in small groups of twos and threes with nobles and advisors eyeing them curiously. Amore didn't pay any attention to the other Selected. It wasn't that she was being rude or snobbish - sticking her nose up to them - but something else had just caught her immediate and undivided attention: _Macarons._

"I'm in love," the girl mumbled to herself, and Mr. Macaron bleated in response to his namesake. She beelined it for the light pink, picnic-bench-like tables, weaving her way through startled guests as she eyed the tower of multi-colored pastries intently. They were all different shades of pastels ranging from green to yellow to pink with white cream in the center of all of them. Amore licked her lips, though she didn't realize, and quickly, without thinking, set Mr. Macaron on the table next to the glorious tower. Grabbing a nearby china plate, she began to pile it high with color coded macarons with their own sections on the plate - 5 each. She didn't realize that people surrounding her were beginning to notice the disappearance of the pastries and the goat that was apparently eating them atop the table. That is, she didn't notice until she was startled by someone tapping her shoulder to turn her around and clearing their throat.

"Oh," she jumped around in surprise, spilling the macarons onto the table and onto Mr. Macarons head. The goat bleated indignantly, and Amore gave disappointed groan, though it sounded more like a song-bird tune coming from her. Looking up from the ruined pastries and her disheveled animal, she came face to face with the pursed lips and narrowed eyes of Madame Juno.

"Lady Amoriel, are you hard of hearing?"

Amoriel gulped, "Um, no-no ma'am…"

"Then you must suffer from some form of pre-frontal lobe disorder," she stated definitely, looking at Amore with a glare that didn't strike total _fear_ in the girl, but rather intimidated her with a level of respect that she didn't know she held. Madame Juno had a way of making people bend to her will at a moment's notice, and then leaving them in complete and utter terror after the fact. After her statement, Amore looked at her with wide-eyes - confused as a deer caught in headlights.

"Memory, dear, do you have bad memory?"

"No…"

"Then there should be no reason that you were late to a gathering that I _explicitly_ informed you yesterday would be the most important of your Selection candidacy. Correct?"  
Amore gulped again, but kept her gaze trained on the intimidating woman, "Correct."

"And there should also be no reason as to why you would bring a _goat_ out here, after I also said yesterday that pets were to stay in your rooms or the palace barn. Correct?"

"Correct."

"Good. Now that we understand each other, don't be late again, and _get that animal out of here_." Amore nodded timidly, blushing as she did so and Madame Juno gave her a tight smile before strutting away.

"Holy Macarons," Amore breathed out, almost gasping for air. She knew that was coming. She also knew that with her apparent affinity for tardiness, it would more than likely happen again. But she didn't want to think of that now. All Amore wanted to do was eat her macarons and hide her goat.

"Hey!"  
"Oh my-" Amore jumped again and turned to see a beautiful, dark haired girl smiling at her and holding out her hand as if waiting for her to shake it. She was gorgeous. Her huge, dark brown eyes sparkled as she smiled widely. Her stunningly thick hair was styled in waves down her back and seemed to glow in the sunlight, making her appear almost exotic with her cat eyeliner and maroon lips. She intimidated Amore, but not to the point that Madame Juno did. No, this girl had a confidence about her, like a professional, take-charge air that she exuded in a way that flattered her, with her shoulders pressed back and her head held high. She was sure of herself.

"Woah, ok," the girl laughed, her hand drawing back, "don't hurt yourself!"  
Amore laughed along and ran a hand through her hair, blushing, "Um, yeah, sorry… it's just been one of those days."

"I totally get it," the girl was still laughing, "I kind of got that impression when you arrived," she smiled easily and put her hands in the pockets of her black jumper.

"Was I that late? Did everyone notice?" Amore looked at her, eyes wide again in worry. She didn't want everyone to think that she was the kind of girl to always be late! Especially for something as important as this. Of course, she _was_ the kind of person to always be late, but that was besides the point.

"Nah, don't worry," the girl smiled easily, "I just noticed because I have an eye for aesthetics, and yours was pretty apparent when you walked in," she laughed again, "I am _loving_ the flowers and lace! The goat is kind of confusing though…"

Amore giggled, "Yeah, most people are a little thrown off by Mr. Macaron upon first glance…" She finally gathered the tiny goat in her arms and readjusted his flower crown as the dark haired girl gasped in response. Her eyes lit up and her smile widened as she reached out to stroke the animal who sat quietly and contently in his mother's arms.

"Ok, you and I are going to be friends. It's official," the dark haired girl stated, still petting the goat and laughing when he nuzzled her hand. Amore looked at her confused, "What?"

The girl looked up, and said, "Matching flower crowns? Yeah, you and I are going to get along just fine," she laughed again at Mr. Macaron when he shoved his head into her hand, and she looked back up again, smiling warmly, "I'm Priscilla."  
"Amoriel," Amore smiled in return. She was actually relieved to have made a friend, and Priscilla seemed like the kind of person she would want to be friends with. She liked Mr. Macaron and appreciated the matching flower crowns, so she was already a pretty decent person in Amoriel's eyes.

"So, I didn't know we were allowed to bring pets? I thought that this was strictly animal-free."  
"Oh, it is," Amore blushed, "I just forgot to take him back up to my room… see, I fell asleep-"

And suddenly, Amore was interrupted by the sound of Madame Juno tapping her fork against her champagne glass, alerting everyone to an announcement she apparently had to make. Both girls turned to see the woman standing up to a podium at the edge of the duck pond. The clearing went silent as everyone turned to hear what the woman would say. She smiled falsely at the party and set her glass down on a nearby table.

"Ladies and Gentleman," she began in an elaborate tone, "I'm so glad that you all could join us for such a special event. The Selection is a time honored tradition that goes back to the very advent of our country as we know it and is a defining characteristic of who we are as a nation," she smiled condescendingly towards the crowd yet again, though no one really noticed, "We are a country of people from all different areas of life that have gathered together to celebrate our stations and our national pride. No other country in the world loves and respects their people so much as to make one of them _queen_. No other country would think to allow their prince the opportunity to choose from the people and learn from the people. We are gathered here today to witness history being made."

Amoriel was briefly distracted by a butterfly that flew onto Mr. Macaron's nose, but Priscilla quickly shooed it away and elbowed her in the side.

" _Ow_ ," she whispered indignantly.

Priscilla shrugged and whispered back, " _Pay attention."_

Amoriel rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Madame Juno, who was apparently finishing up because she said, "Therefore, it is my great privilege and honor to officially commence our nation's 23rd Selection and introduce our esteemed hosts. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Queen Jezebel Schreave, Prince Kole Schreave, and Crown Prince Kalum Shreave!"  
Everyone turned in unison to see the Royal Family entering the garden across the bridge, the Queen in front with her head held high and the two boys trailing behind to form a triangle of power that seemed to be exuded from all three members. They didn't need the King to look powerful - the Queen did that all on her own, and with the two princes standing behind her? Well, let's just say that to Amoriel they seemed invincible - like a shield. The Queen's smile was tight lipped and yet beautiful and comforting in a way that Amoriel couldn't quite understand. She wore a fitted white and grey dress paired with a white fur coat that Amoriel did not doubt was real. It was flung over her shoulder in a casual manner, and yet she managed to not make it look snobbish as she walked confidently up the center of the crowd.

But Amoriel did not focus on the Queen. In fact, she didn't even focus on Prince Kalum, who looked almost as cool and confident as his mother save for the thin layer of sweat glistening on his forehead. No, Amoriel focused on the _other_ prince - the eldest prince. And what surprised her was that _he was focusing on her too._

As the Royal trio situated themselves behind the microphone podium, Kalum now standing front and center with his mother and brother behind him, Kole's eyes never left Amoriel's as they stared each other down. Neither was brave enough to look away and, for some reason, neither wanted to. It felt comfortable to hold the other's gaze, and for a minute Amoriel was content being enveloped in the black of his eyes. They were hypnotizing. Amore had never been so awe-struck.

When Prince Kalum began to speak, Amoriel was reminded of reality and broke her gaze, blinking and shaking her head. Kole didn't though. Kole just continued to stare.

 _What is wrong with you,_ the girl thought to herself, _stop embarrassing yourself in front of royalty!_

Redirecting her attention to the prince at the podium - the one she was _meant_ to be paying attention to - Amoriel tried to avoid the ever-piercing gaze of the dark prince.

"Thank you, thank you," Kal spoke clearly and concisely, calming the crowd with his hands like the politician he was raised to be, "Thank you all for coming. I'm going to keep this short and sweet because I'm sure you're all sick of speeches at this point and just want food," he paused for a wave a soft laughter that passed through the crowd, "but I just need to say this, and I promise that you can go back to the party," he paused, taking a deep breath.

"I'm anxious," he said, taking another pause to let the words sink in, "I'm scared, but not terrified. I'm excited, but I'm not sure that I would consider myself overly eager to date 35 girls at a time," he laughed to himself nervously, trying to make a joke out of the situation and the crowd laughed along with him, easing his nerves. "I'm ready to meet the love of my life, but don't assume that I'm not just as prone to first date jitters as you are- I am and I plan to be. In fact, expect me to be a mess sometimes because I will be," he took another pause for laughter, "but that's the best part I think. We get this whole awkward stage out of the way first, and then I can find the one that will keep me focused, able, and _happy_ enough to rule this country well. So, let's just get this over with, because I'm sure you're anxious too," and he finished with a small, slightly timid smile before stepping out from behind the podium as the crowd gave a polite and encouraging applause. Amoriel could see him visibly sigh and begin to head over to a cluster of trees where a small tea table and chairs had been set up for the interviews. However, this was not before attempting to draw his brother's gaze, rather unsuccessfully considering the elder's gaze was still trained on Amoriel.

The girl clapped politely as well, though it seemed strained as she could still feel the weight of Kole's eyes, trying to search for her own. It gave a tingling sensation to every nerve in her body and seemed to make her heart stop. The weight was uncomfortable now that she wasn't looking at him, and something seemed to draw her to his gaze, even though she knew she shouldn't. It seemed only natural to her.

"Um, hello? Earth to Amore!"

 _What?_

Amoriel looked up to see Priscilla waving a hand in front of her eyes, trying to alert her attention. Amore shook her head and focused on her friend who was giggling at the girl's dazed look.

"Are you ok," she asked, still laughing, "You kind of tuned out for a minute there."

"What? Yeah," Amoriel exclaimed, a little too pitchy, "I'm fine! Don't worry about me, I just tend to, you know, daydream… a lot…"  
"Yeah, I've noticed," responded Priscilla, smirking, "So… he was nothing less than freaking _adorable!"_

Amoriel giggled at her friend's expression, "Yeah it was a cute speech - the whole 'I'm anxious' thing."

"I know! And that jawline…" Priscilla exaggerated fanning herself, making Amoriel laugh even harder. "Ooooo, don't look now, but I think that you might want to hide Mr. Macaron," Priscilla looked over her shoulder inconspicuously, "Madame Juno is looking this way."

" _What?"_ Amoriel's eyes widened and she tried to look back behind her, but Priscilla grabbed her shoulders and turned her back around.

"Don't look," she instructed, "just go take him inside, ok?"

"No! What is they call my name to go meet Kalum and I'm not here! They'll disqualify me!"

The thought was as unappealing to the innocent girl as it would be to any of the Selected, but for Amoriel being disqualified was more terrifying than anything she had ever experienced in her lifetime. Well, almost anything…

"Ok, so go hide him! It'll be fine, just don't let Madame Juno see him!"  
"Alright," Amore nodded vigorously, "Cover for me if they call my name ok?"  
"Fine, but don't be too late ok!"

"Lady Priscilla Contreras!"  
Both girls whipped their heads around to see Kal standing by the edge of the clearing, drawing everyone's attention. All eyes went to Priscilla, whom Amore shrunk behind in an attempt to hide her pygmy goat. Priscilla didn't miss a beat, muttering a soft, "sorry," to Amore, she strutted across the clearing like she owned it towards the prince who seemed both intimidated and transfixed by her presence. Her hand slipped gracefully into his as he led her to the pair of cushioned chairs at the edge of the clearing. The guests turned back to their conversations and Amore quietly slipped away into the bushes and into a seperate garden.

"Ok then," she sighed deeply as she walked with purpose across the lawn of the garden she wasn't familiar with, "where would you like to hide?"

The goat didn't respond but instead nuzzled her shoulder like an infant and Amore couldn't help but coo at him as she stroked his head. The garden seemed to shine in the sunlight around her, the vivid pastels of the flowers and the health that radiated from the grass was enough to make her want to lie down and rest again. It was a tempting thought, but she knew that she couldn't - she had to get back to the party as quick as humanly possible. Glancing around bushes and searching for structures that she could hide the small animal in, she was unaware of the figure approaching from behind, though he wasn't silent.

"Not one for parties?"  
"Oh my-" for the third time that day, Amore jumped in surprise and swung her head around to see none other than Prince Kole gazing at her evenly with a smirk playing on his lips. Her breath caught in her throat before she could say anything, and she was almost drawn back into the depths of his eyes. The prince looked casual - more casual than most of the people in the other garden - with his khakis and crisp, white shirt that had it's sleeves pushed up his arms, revealing a gold watch that didn't really look tacky on him. His cocoa hair was curlier than she remembered it on tv, but his smirk was familiar. It was strange that before, when they were up on the balcony, she didn't notice any of this, or even that she was in the presence of the prince. But now… now that she really got to look at him she was speechless. Well, almost.

"I am so sor-"

"Do _not_ say sorry again," Kole laughed to himself, putting his hand up to stop her while the other rested casually in his pocket, "It's my turn to talk. I don't know if you realized, but I wasn't actually given the chance to in our previous encounter."

Amoriel blushed and looked down, fidgeting with the flower's on Mr. Macaron's crown, "Yeah, I know, I'm sor-"

"Hey," Kole stopped her again with a playfully stern glance, "What did I say?"  
The shade of pink on Amoriel's cheeks deepened to a dark red and Kole was amused by the display of bashful innocence on the girl. It wasn't something that he saw everyday, or he thought that anyone did for that matter. This girl was a dying breed.

"I didn't quite get your name," he said easily. It was a line that he had practiced a hundred times over.

"That's because I didn't give it to you," Amoriel snapped, looking up. She then blushed again and said quietly, "Apologises, that sounded cooler in my head than it did coming out…"  
Kole burst out laughing. This girl was something else…

"You weren't supposed to say sorry again," he said, still chuckling.

"I didn't," she spoke softly, "I said 'apologises.'"

Kole chuckled even more and shook his head at her words. Amore was slightly confused by the actions of the Prince and wasn't quite sure how to act in this particular situation. It wasn't as if she had ever been coached on how to act around royalty - well, she had, but only just yesterday - and she didn't think that any course on etiquette would plan for a prince watching her sleep, watching her every move, laughing at her, and telling her not to say the word "sorry." It was new territory for her and for anyone, she thought.

"You're right," Kole said, his laughter slowing, "You did. My sincerest apologies."

"Apology accepted," Amore spoke a little more clearly, her blush fading and her head coming up to reveal her sparkling blue eyes to the Prince who gasped just slightly enough for it to be unnoticeable to the blushing beauty. Then, a little more confidently, she spoke, "My name is Amoriel."

The Prince gazed dazedly at her for only a moment before smiling in appreciation and responding, "Kole."

"I know."

Kole grinned and kept his eyes on her for only a second before it became awkward again.

"So," the Prince said, clearing his throat and sticking his hands back in his pockets, "What, may I ask, are you doing out here, Amoriel?

"Well," she laughed nervously to herself, wondering if she should tell him or not.

 _Why not,_ she thought to herself, _it's not like he's going to kick you out of his home for having a goat in the gardens._

"Hiding Mr. Macaron," she stated matter-of-factly. Kole's eyebrows shot up as he glanced briefly at the goat and then back at her. He cleared his throat again, "That's the goat, I'm assuming?"

"Don't say that so disdainfully! He'll take it as being crude and won't sleep well tonight!"  
Amore covered the pygmy goat's ears with her hands and held him up to her shoulder as if to comfort him. Kole grinned even wider and laughed to himself. This girl…

"Ok, but why? Why not just take him up to your rooms?"

"I'm a Selected," she sighed, but then instantly regretted it for she thought it sounded sorrowful, "I can't go back up to my rooms because I'm supposed to be meeting your brother, so I'm just gonna hide him out here so that if my turn comes I'll be able to hear the call."  
She smiled to herself, mentally patting herself on the back for the made-up efficency of her plan. Well, really Priscilla's plan but that didn't matter. Amoriel looked back at Kole who seemed to have a revelation due to her words and appeared to be disappointed for a second before attempting to smile again.

"Alright. So do you need held? I know the gardens better than anyone… I can show you around," he smirked at her as he just _casually_ offered as the Prince of Ilea to walk her around the gardens to hide her pet goat. No biggie. Amoriel considered him, slightly nervous and slightly thrilled. The heat in her chest threatened to erupt as the butterflies in her stomach beat faster and faster by the minute. She didn't think this feeling was healthy, but for some reason she loved it. And hated it. She was confused, to the point where nothing in her head made sense anymore and nothing that was standing right before her eyes was even there. Only him. And maybe it was the macarons or the sleepy deliriousness that she was still recovering from, but in that moment it didn't matter because she found herself beaming at him in response and saying, "Yes."

* * *

 **There's more coming so just go onto the next chapter to see the real author's note. This chapter was just so long (I didn't plan for it to be) that I had to separate it into 2 chapters XD soooo yeah, you're welcome! You get two.**


	7. Chapter 7

**For Sleeping Beauty Part II**

 **(because I'm too tired to come up with another original title)**

Kalum thought the speech went well. He didn't stutter, trip, or say something stupid and off script like he thought he would. He usually felt like this before and after a speech, and it always went well in the end, but this one was different. It also didn't help that Kole had been staring off into space during the whole thing, and didn't even spare him a glance once it was over. Usually, even when he was hung over and missed it, he would always return once he was conscious and congratulate his younger brother. But not this time.

As Kal strode over to the tea table that resided in the corner of the clearing, he felt himself grow more and more unsteady. His arms were tense, and he supposed that to everyone else it looked like confidence, but to those who knew him, it was a clear display of fear. When he sat down on the cushioned iron chair, he breathed deeply, trying desperately to calm him nerves. As he glanced at the list of names before - the Selected names - and sighed. It was time. Picking up the paper, his eyes going to the top of the list, he felt himself standing and calling out, nt of his own volition, "Lady Priscilla Contreras!"  
And the clearing went silent. Kal's eyes drifted upward to see straight across the clearing where a beautiful girl - no, a beautiful _woman -_ was standing tall and confident next to another girl he couldn't quite see clearly. She seemed comfortable under the pressure of all of the wandering eyes, and even thrived in it by the looks of it. After about a second of glancing around, confused, she straightened her shoulders and held her head high, only whispering quickly to the girl behind her and walking with confidence across the lawn to where he stood. Kal couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was captivating.

For some reason, he felt himself hold his hand out to her, even smiling slightly as her soft hand slipped into his own. As he guided Priscilla over to the set of chairs, he was beginning to feel his confidence returning.

"So, Lady Priscilla," he said, as they sat down, still smiling broadly, "How are you enjoying the palace? The party?"

Priscilla smiled easily and comfortably, like she was used to things like this, "Love it! I mean, it's the palace - it's not like I can say that it's not gorgeous because that would be a lie and everyone would know it," she laughed as she looked around, "and the party is phenomenal! It reminds me of a reception I planned once, although this is so much more elaborate and, frankly, more beautiful."

Kal cocked his head to the side, "You planned a reception? For family or…"

"No, no," Priscilla laughed and interrupted him, trying to clarify, "No, I'm a wedding planner. Along with other things…"

Suddenly Kal remembered something - something he had seen while briefly glancing at the forms in one of the the few moments of free time that he had. He didn't really retain much of the girl's forms, but he didn't remember this particular part.

"You're a professional bridesmaid right?" He smiled broadly, proud that he had remembered that.

"Indeed I am," Priscilla nodded, pride shining through, "It's a business I started myself."

"Wow," Kal spoke in awe, "Ok, wait, I'm confused - how does that work exactly?"

Priscilla smiled to herself. This was a question that she got a lot. "Well," she started, and he could see her visibly swell with pride, "it's more like a private thing. My friend, who's a two, suggested to me after I helped plan her wedding and she didn't really have someone there to be her bridesmaid - her life was kind of sheltered and such as and heiress - so she asked me and, well it worked out," she smiled to herself, "So, it's kind of like a side thing along with the wedding planning - I'll do it if they want."

 _So, it's for people with no friends,_ a small part of Kalum thought.

But in a way he was impressed! He had been pretty sheltered as a kid, and besides Baron and Vegas, he had only really been able to play with the children of foreign rulers and ambassadors. It's not like he could go to a normal school - as much as he would have wanted to - so he understood the sentiment behind the business and he appreciated it.  
"I think that's great," he said slowly, smiling warmly, "so you're a businesswoman!"  
"And proud of it," she said, sitting up straighter. Kal smiled in return, but before he could say anything else a piercing sound rang from under the table. The prince cringed, cursing himself for ever setting that damn timer in the first place. Priscilla looked around confused, searching for the sound.

"It's the bell," Kal said, groaning, even though he knew it didn't sound very prince-like, "I set it just in case I got too carried away talking and forgot about the time limit," he reached under the table to grab the antiquated kitchen timer, "It was a last minute sort of thing and I'm regretting it now." He smiled bashfully at Priscilla, who laughed at the prince's anxiety.

"Should I keep it for the other girls," he asked playfully. "Nah," she said, smiling conspiratorially, "I'm just an overly interesting person - no one else will take as long."

Kal chuckled at her confidence and stood up to take her hand, "It was lovely meeting you Priscilla," and he kissed her hand, making her blush ever so slightly, "I hope we meet again."

Priscilla smiled widely, possibly trying to hide her blush, "Same here."

And then she strode off back to the clearing where 35 other girls were whispering anxiously, wondering who he would call next. Kal sighed, closing his eyes and letting his head roll back on his shoulders. It wasn't as hard as he thought it would be. Priscilla seemed nice, and if that's what it would be like with all of these girls, then the Selection would either be really easy or really hard. But it didn't matter, because now he was excited. Looking back to the party, he stood up straight, dusted off his coat, smiled broadly, and announced, "Lady Imogen Heffernan!"

* * *

The winding maze of the gardens was something magical - a separate entity in and of itself. It separated itself entirely from the rest of the flower beds that dotted the well-kept lawn. It was there for appearance purposes, seeing as the palace was best known for its gardens, but Kole had always thought that every part of the gardens were purposeless and free. They were void of any restrictions or regulations and Kole had always seen it as a world separate from his own, as he had told Kal only a few days before. It was an escape, and he was addicted to his escapes. This time though, it didn't feel like an escape. It felt like an adventure, and he hadn't felt that way about the gardens in such a long time.

"C'mon," Amore pleaded, though giggling to herself the whole time, "you're so slow!"  
"Um, I'm supposed to be leading _you_ through the gardens - you know that right?"  
Kole laughed as the girl rolled her eyes at him, making her way around a turn that he knew was wrong, "And I'm supposed to be back at that party, but things just don't work out the way we plan all the time, do they?"

"No, they don't," Kole chuckled at how comfortable the girl was now. It hadn't taken very long for him to break down her wall and get her to actually _talk_ to him without rambling along with some adorable apology for an apology. Not that he didn't think that was cute, but it was nice to see her beam at him in excitement, as opposed to blushing in embarrassment. He loved the way she smiled. It lit up her face like he had never seen before on a girl. It was innocent and naive, yet open and excitable. She was the timid doe and the bouncing fawn all in one. She was a fairy.

As they made their way around another wrong bend, Kole began to chuckle out loud, causing Amore to turn back to him, almost tripping over Mr. Macaron, trotting along and minding his own business.

"What?" She looked at him, confused for a minute, "What is it?"

"We're going in circles," he snickered, "We've taken like 7 right turns!"

"Oh, and I suppose _you_ know where we're going," she retorted, sticking her hands on her hips and her chin up, mocking a defiant glare. Kole continued to laugh.  
"Sweetheart," he said, in a falsely patronizing tone, "It's _my palace._ Therefore, it's _my garden_ ," and he laughed again at her expression. She rolled her eyes and blushed, trying to hold in her giggles at their playful banter. Amoriel was in awe of the situation, but did not dwell on it. Instead, she just skipped around the next bend - purposefully taking a right.

"Alright, now you're just _trying_ to get lost _,"_ Kole called, jogging up to catch her, but she glanced back and squealed before sprinting off deeper into the maze, losing both of her heels on the way and not really caring. Kole smiled wider than he had in years and pumped his legs faster, trying to catch her and ignoring the bleating goat that was getting lost in the distance.

" _Shut up you stupid sheep!"_ Kole looked back to see Mr. Macaron slowing his trot and eventually just stopping, not caring to chase the two anymore. He knew Amore would come back for him.

Kole laughed and continued to chase the fleeing girl, listening for the sound of bells in the distance - her laugh. He slowed to a jog, and eventually stopping to look around. Kole smirked. He caught a flash of white lace, fluttering out from behind a tall hedge wall and catching on the brambles. A distinctly feminine sound came from behind the bush and Kole was suddenly replaying his old childhood game, hide and seek. He and Kal used to play it all the time in the maze, and as he saw a wisp of Amoriel's beautiful caramel curls, he smiled slyly to himself. Creeping in an over-dramatic manner towards the edge of the hedge wall, he situated himself on the other end of the corner, her hand resting only inches from his. Finally, like muscle memory from his childhood, he snatched the small hand and yanked its owner out from her concealment!

"Ah! _Let go of me,_ " she squealed in excitement as she struggled against Kole's arms, holding her firmly in place against his chest as he laughed, "C'mon! I'm ticklish! This freaks me out!"

"Oh? So you're ticklish," Kole spoke conspiratorily and smirked, "So, you don't like when I do this," he jabbed her in the side and she squealed, "or this," again, " _or this?"  
_ Amoriel was practically hanging in Kole's arms at this point, her knees almost on the ground as he continued to poke her in the sides until her eyes were tearing up. Upon seeing this, Kole immediately halted, gasping to himself and crouching down onto the grass where Amoriel now lay. Her face was still laughing, but her eyes had tears in them and Kole thought that he had never seen such a heartbreaking image in his life. When she looked back up at him, he couldn't help but clasp his hands around her face in an attempt to comfort her.

"Shhhh, no, don't cry!"  
"Um, Kole," Amoriel spoke softly, her tears and laughter ceasing, "I was just laughing… I'm fine really," she gave him a small smile, "but if I was actually crying you would know why!"

The prince had never felt so embarrassed in front of a girl. Neither had he assumed that anyone who was laughing with tears in their eyes was actually _sad._

 _Good job, Kole. Real smart._

The prince laughed awkwardly, standing up and offering her his hand. She stood up from the ground like a dancer and dusted off the grass from her now-tinted white dress. She was barefoot and her hair wasn't as perfect as when he had seen it that morning. It was frizzy and not as shiny, and a bit of her mascara was running from the tears in her laughing eyes. Still, Kole couldn't fully comprehend how she still looked like a fairytale.

"So," he cleared his throat when she caught him staring, "How about this time I lead."

Amoriel sighed and rolled her head back, "Ugh, fine, if you must," she said playfully.

Kole smiled as he let go of her hand that he had forgotten he was still holding. As he led them down the correct path out of the maze, Kole felt comfortable in the apparent silence that had befallen them, and he was never one for silence. He felt comfortable just being around her, but still, he wanted to know more.

"Alright," he began, shoving his hands in his pockets to appear more casual, "So, I know that you like goats-"

"Love," she corrected playfully.

"Love," he repeated, smiling, "and I know that you you apparently love _macarons,_ or else I don't know why on earth you would name a goat something so ridiculous…"  
"Hey," she protested. Kole held his hands above his head in surrender, "Ok, you can't blame me for that one - there is no other plausible explanation for it!"  
Amore considered this, "Ok, continue."  
Kole smiled, "And I know that you don't like being tickled. I also know that you have a horrible sense of direction, are prone to over-apologising, and interrupting people a lot-"

"Hey, I do not!"  
Kole gave her a look and she blushed, looking down. "Continue," she gave in as Kole led her around another corner. He smiled at her surrender and did so.

"But besides that, I don't really know too much about Amoriel *insert last name*"  
Amore gave a giggle at this and looked up to see him smirking at her. "Fawn Lafayette," she said, "My middle name is Fawn, but my last name is Lafayette."

Kole nodded, pursing his lips and taking in the information, "Ok, good… what else? What are your… I don't know, what's your job? What do you do?"

At this, Amore beamed, saying, "I'm a slogan writer. I write poems for holiday cards and stuff."  
Kole grinned. Of course she was. It was only fitting.

"I mean, sometimes I try to write other stuff - like romance novels and such-"

"Wait, you write romance novels," Kole laughed, "Of course you do. You know, I probably could have guessed that myself."

"I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not, but I'm just gonna say 'thank you' and move on," Amore said, blushing deeply again. Kole laughed at the sudden change in the color of her cheeks. With the amount of charm and innocence this girl had, it only made sense for her to write it for a living. As they continued down the path, Mr. Macaron eventually finding them, much to Amore's relief, the two exchanged random questions that Amore found more and more amusing each time.

The girl giggled, "Why would you want to know my favorite pickup line?"  
"Favorite _cheesy_ pickup line," he corrected, laughing along, "C'mon everyone has one - and I'm sure you've heard them," he smirked. Amore genuinely looked like she was thinking about the question as she pursed her lips and closed her eyes like a young kid.

"You can call me Nemo, but I'm never afraid to touch the butt," she said definitely, like it was an answer on a test. Kole looked at her incredulously, but still amused, "Ok then… I'm gonna be honest, I didn't think you would answer that," he laughed at her affronted expression.

"You said everyone had one! Why wouldn't I?"  
He shrugged and Amore rolled her eyes, "Alright, so what's yours?"

"Can I buy you a drink," Kole replied immediately, looking at her out of the corner of his eye and smirking. Amore laughed out loud, honestly thinking it was a joke, but she didn't say anything. Kole redirected her asking, "Ok, another question: Do you believe in ghosts?"

"Of course," she replied enthusiastically, looking at him surprised, "do you?"

"No," he laughed, "that was supposed to be a joke!"

"Why wouldn't you believe in ghosts? Everyone believes in ghosts!"

"No, no, I don't think they do," he chuckled, "why do you believe in ghosts?"

"Oh, I believe in everything! Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy - everything! Although, I don't really pay much attention to the tooth fairy anymore because I've lost all my teeth so…"

Kole gawked at her. She believed in Santa Claus? The Tooth Fairy? This girl was truly the most innocent being that he had ever encountered, even surpassing the four year old daughter of the Spanish Ambassador who thought that airplanes had to flap their wings to fly. But Amoriel… she was something entirely of different - her own entity. Gazing into her jeweled eyes, filled with wonder, excitement, naivety, and wide-eyed honesty, he realized that nothing that she was saying could possibly be construed as a lie, and anyone could see it. He couldn't bring himself to deny her and simply nodded, not taking the conversation any further. Instead, he just asked another slew of questions.

"Sweet tooth or savory?"

"Sweet - obviously."

"Favorite Color?"

"Pink."

"Something you've always wanted to do?"

"Hug a koala," she sighed dreamily, and he laughed.

"Most _bizarre_ talent?"

She thought about this one, "I can balance five macaroons on my nose," she said finally, giggling shyly, knowing the ridiculousness of her claim.

"Really?"

"Yeah! I mean, I've only done it once but I don't really know what other _bizarre_ talent I have… I'm pretty normal…"

 _She's anything but,_ Kole thought silently.

"Ok, fine," he said, "Here comes the big one: favorite disney movie?"

She immediately groaned, mocking pain. Even Mr. Macaron bleated at the question and Amore looked at him like her had just asked her to join the Nazi Regime. Kole laughed hysterically.

"Too hard?"

"Has anyone _ever_ been able to answer that question for you?"  
Kole shrugged, still laughing his ass off at her expression. "I don't know, I thought that it was a good one!"  
"It's a horrible question!"

"So you're not going to answer me," he asked, looking at her with pouting eyes, but still grinning mischievously. Amore pursed her lips, "I'll get back to you on that."

Kole nodded, his chet still shaking with suppressed laughter, but suddenly his breath caught and his eyes widened as he rushed forward, leading her by the hand out the opening of the maze and into a completely separate garden that she had never seen before. To be fair though, she hadn't seen most of the gardens before, so all of it was new. But Kole's smile told her that this garden was something special.

"C'mon," he encouraged, pulling her towards a shimmering pond that seemed to be endless on either sides, but she could see straight across into a forested area. The maze opened to a straight path leading to the end of the pond, a circular piazza towering on a pedestal. It's domed roof and ancient looking stone build gave it the appearance of a roman castle. Amoriel thought that she had never seen something so mystically beautiful. Even though it was the middle of the day, dew jewels still decorated the overgrown grass, seemingly untouched. Even the light rays above the pond danced through the clearing and reflected off of the gems, illuminating the majestic piazza. Why the party wasn't being held here, Amore didn't know, but in a way she was glad. The natural purity was something she didn't want to be disturbed, and it made her feel guilty to even gaze upon it.

"What are you waiting for," Kole called to her, already standing on the steps to the piazza, "Aren't you coming?"

"Um," Amore hesitated, "what are we doing here? Shouldn't we head back to the party?"  
Kole shrugged, "Well, yeah, but this was the closest exit, and I thought you might want to see it!"

It seemed innocent enough, so Amore strode forward slowly, still apprehensive. And yet, she was curious.

"What is this place," she asked as she joined him atop the platform, looking around in wonder.

"Just a place," he said casually, teasing her, "I don't really know - Kal and I used to play in all of these gardens as kids, and they're pretty large so it's not like there can be a 'main garden'" he paused, taking a deep breath, "They're each just their own separate world… which I guess is what makes it special."

Amore gazed at him evenly, her eyes inquiring. He seemed like a different person, like he was just a stranger that she had just met. He was, but on some level she _did_ know him before. He was the prince before, but now he was someone else - he was Kole. He was her friend.

"You and your brother are close?"  
"We're best friends," he said, a smile playing on his lips as he gazed out onto the shimmering water. It didn't even look blue in the afternoon sun, but rather just a pool of golden light. Amore gazed out with him. Suddenly, she heard a buzzing sound by her ear.

"Oh my God!"  
Kole jumped away from her and towards the water, away from the bee that had settled itself on his shoulder. His eyes were filled with terror as he waved his arms around, trying to slap and kill the damn thing! Watching the prince stumble around the piazza, trying to hit the bee, Amoriel was slightly conflicted: does she laugh at Kole or try to help the bee? Then, she didn't have to choose, because the bee flew up over his head, causing him to duck abruptly and crash into the water!

"Kole!" Amoriel rushed to the side of the piazza, down by the cattails and reeds where the prince was thrashing around in the water. Now, she laughed.

"What are you laughing at," he challenged, though he was still smiling too as he struggled to swim to the edge, "you want to join me?"

"Oh don't you dare," she warned, out of breath from laughing, "you already gave me a heart attack in the maze - this is just karma."

Kole groaned, but fell back in the water to float, making Amore laugh even harder. "C'mon you peanut, get out of the water!"

Kole sat up, his eyes narrowed incredulously. "Peanut?"

Amore giggled, "Yeah. Peanut."  
"Why peanut," he was so confused, but still genuinely curious.

The girl shrugged as she knelt down to grab her goat who had wandered by the shore, "I don't know… I like peanuts," and she blushed.

Kole's mouth hung open as he said, "So you decided to call me _peanut?_ "  
"Yeah… I guess… What? You don't like it?"  
" _Peanut?_ It compromises my manhood!"  
Amore began to giggle again, making Kole roll his eyes as he began to climb out of the pool, his expensive clothes now sopping wet. His shirt clung to his hardened chest and hair, now reflecting the light of the sun, was drowned in tiny jewels of water making trails downs his face and chest. Any other girl would have been brought to her knees, but Amore, in all her innocence, simply continued to giggle as she looked straight into his sparkling eyes. They held mischief, and upon seeing this, she thought it could only mean one thing: "No! Don't touch me, you're wet!"

* * *

"Well, that was fun," Baron quipped at an exhausted Kal, sipping his glass of champagne casually as his friend glared.

"I didn't know that small talk was so hard," Kal complained, his head in his hands, "Do you know how tiring it is to appear interested in topics like 'my super adorable curling iron set? Do you Baron?"

With that, the prince's friend burst into hysterical laughter, almost spilling his drink all over his checkered shirt and dark blue coat, "You're shitting me!"  
"No. No, I swear to god, there was one girl who _literally_ spent the entire 3 minutes talking to me about her set of designer curling irons and how she got them and their colors and how they were used for different styles and - ugh! Baron it was fucking painful!"

Baron only continued to laugh, ignoring his friend's continuous protests and threats, "Ok, well, at least it was only one girl right? I mean, there had to have been a _couple_ you liked?"

Kal felt comfortable answering this question now, because practically everyone had left the party to go to their room, jobs, lessons, and the like - save for a couple of staff members who were cleaning up, but they always gossiped about it anyway so when they found out didn't matter. The clearing was empty, and Kal just sat groaning and scarfing down the breakfast that he wasn't able to eat. Baron simply watched in amusement.

"I mean, of course I did like some of them! They were all lovely it's just… overwhelming I guess," Kal spun his drink around his glass, bashfully not looking back up at his friend, "There was one who seemed almost as nervous as I was… even more so I would say since her fingers kept vigorously tapping against her leg. The entire time," he ducked his head, "It was sweet."

Kalum smiled at the memory of Mirielle, the small, brunette with the big blue-grey eyes. The minute she walked over to him, his heart seemed to beat in sync with hers. He could feel it. Their conversation was standard, just like every other one that he had had, but something about her just struck him as comforting, though she seemed to be anything but. And yet, her smile was easy and radiant. It was perplexing, but he didn't care. Kalum was torn from his thoughts by Baron snapping his fingers in front of his eyes, chuckling at his dazed expression and sitting back in his chair, giving his friend an amused grin.

"Ok, so what about the other girls? Oh! What about that cult girl? What happened with her…"

"You know, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, if I'm honest," Kal sat back in his chair, thinking back to his meeting with Lady Caihi. It was short - shorter than the meetings he had with the other girls, but not for lack of effort on Kal's part. No, the girl just seemed out of sorts. When she had first walked over, Kalum didn't even remember what she had been accused of, and he simply didn't care. In fact, reading out her name, since she was towards the end of the list, he was too tired to even care who's name he was calling out and didn't realize it was hers. The girl _looked_ like a force to be reckoned with, but when she sat down he could see that she was actually a bit dazed - like she wasn't sure what was happening. Of course, when he started asking her questions - "How do you like the palace?" and "Are you enjoying the party?" - she was warm and confident, smiling often, but still out of sorts. It was as if she didn't know how to speak to people properly; as if she was just figuring it out as she went along, more and more coming back to her the more they spoke.

She said nothing of being under house arrest. She said nothing of college or the crime or the cult or anything that could remotely remind him of who she truly was. In fact, she was quite charming! He learned that she liked tactical games, like chess and stuff, and graphic art - mosaics, tapestries, ceramics, etc. This was actually something he deeply appreciated considering he had always been teased by Kole and Vegas for the intense chess games that he and Baron often got themselves into. One time when he was visiting a high school with his mother and brother (one of the very few times he actually showed up) there was a chess tournament in one of the classrooms and Kalum acted like a crazed Superbowl fan cheering on one particular boy who was doing exceptionally well. Of course, being cheered on during chess was something that most people would be thrown off by, but having the Prince of Illea breathing down his neck and whispering moves in his ear is a whole other beast. Needless to say, Kal got quite a bit of crap from his older brother for that one.

But it made him happy that he wasn't the only one who enjoyed the tactical thrill. Anyway, she seemed fun to him, and definitely confident despite her obvious disorientation. It was only when she left to walk back to the party, where he noticed a significant number of people were dodging her, and Vegas jogged up to him to whisper, "So? How was it talking to a witch," when he realized who he had just shared a laugh with.

He shrugged again, "I don't know, I think I'm gonna let her stay…"

Baron's eyebrows shot up, "Really?"

He nodded again, "Yeah… I mean, she seemed nice and, well, I guess I'd just like to get to know her better."

"Well, I forbid it," a new voice came from behind both of them. Vegas strode up to the boys in all her glory and dropped something into Kal's lap. He set down his glass of champagne and lifted up what looked like a detective's notebook, although it had the Gucci symbol on the front so he knew that it definitely was not.

"What's this?"

"A list," she stated matter-of-factly, "Three lists, to be more precise."

"Of," Baron prompted irritably, a little annoyed by Vegas' sudden appearance, taking over his job as Kal's wingman and consort apparently.

"My opinions," she smiled slyly, "The first one is girls that I approve of. The ones at the top are those that I'm to the point of _insisting_ you marry and then the others just fill the space by not irritating me."

"What a charmer," Baron mumbled dryly.

"I like to think so."

"Ok, so what about the others," Kal interrupted, making his way down each list and recognizing some of the selected names, "what's the next one?"

"The second list is girls that I absolutely _forbid_ you to even consort with, so I basically just decided the elimination for today, you're welcome," she smiled like she had just said she was giving him a pony or something, "and the third is girls that I suspect to be gay."

" _What?"_

The boys looked at her incredulously. The funny thing was, the list was fairly long - it had almost 8 girls on it - and he could actually agree with her on two of them. Vegas looked at them expectantly, waiting for praise.

"Ummm Vegas, a) I highly doubt that ALL of them are… _lesbians_ and b) you can't just assume that! Besides, why would they even sign up for the selection if they weren't… interested?"

Vegas looked affronted, "Ok, for your information Kalum, I happen to have a _great_ sense for that kind of thing and all of these girls were staring at my breasts whenever I spoke to them, so you could say that I had _pretty good_ intuition," she gave him a durrr look and he just continued to stare, "And secondly, the girl at the top," she stabbed the notepad with her finger, "was feeling me up when we sat down to eat!"

The two boys gaped at her, unable to really comprehend what she was saying. That was until Baron blundered out, "But-but that's _treason!"_

"Oh don't get your panties in a twist _drama queen_ ," Vegas scoffed, "I walked away so it wasn't technically a 'relationship' so just chill."

"Alright fine," Kal interrupted another squall between the two, "I'll eliminate her. But the others? Vegas, did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe, they weren't staring at your breasts but at your shirt?"

The all looked down at her graphic t-shirt, tucked into the formal, slim black dress pants to make it appear appropriate. It depicted a flattering image of a woman squeezing her fishnet-clad ass and saying in big block letters "SQUEEZE THIS!"

The blonde shrugged, "I can't help if my fashion is controversial."

Kalum and Baron groaned, Kal throwing back his head back and raking his hands through his hair. Vegas rolled her eyes at the dramatics of the two and snatched up her list.

"Fine, we'll get rid of _that_ list," she resigned, "but what about the others? Yay? Nah?"

Kalum forcibly took the notepad from her again, eliciting an indignant gasp from Vegas and turning to Baron. "I'm fine with a couple on the 'no' list, but Reece? Why not Reece? And what about," he flipped to another page, "why not Daija? She seemed sweet! I liked her!"

Vegas rolled her eyes again, "Reece is an Eight and Daija can't talk properly. Seriously, I'm just saving you a whole lot of awkwardness."

Kalum looked at her in shock, "You can't get rid of Reece because she's a Eight! That's horrible! I can't believe you would be so small minded-"

"Oh please," Vegas scoffed, "Kalum, think about it: the lower class probably hate the royals! I'm sorry to bring this up but, um, exhibit A being your father, she's probably not your biggest fan," she gave him a patronizing look and Kal just considered her words, "Therefore, the only plausible reason that she would be signing up to be your wife is the money!"

She punctuated her speech by folding her arms and cocking her hip to the side, her head as well. Kalum considered her words. She might be right, but he liked Reece! When he met her she might have seemed a little closed off but not in the rude way… just reserved, which he respected. He would see her true intentions later if he really felt it necessary, but right now he just wanted to get to know her better.

"No," Kal shook his head, "I'm keeping her," Vegas tried to argue but he put his hand up, "And Daija too."

She pouted but sighed in resignation, "Fine, but I absolutely _insist_ that you marry one of these two," she pointed to the top two names on the first list, "Katerina and Ilaria. They're beautiful and intelligent and charming and have _common sense_ and ambitions and-"

"Why don't you marry them," Baron snorted, taking another sip of his champagne, but frowning when he found the glass to be empty. "I've considered it," Vegas sung slyly, her smirk eliciting and false smile and subsequent scowl from Baron, "Besides, I'd rather _not_ be canned, executed, imprisoned, or some other shit for committing treason, thank you very much."

"Ok, well, thank you for the input Vegas I'll consider it," Kal spoke dryly as his eyes skimmed over the second list again, "wait, who is this?"

He pointed to the name Amoriel Lafayette who he didn't seem to recall ever meeting… Vegas snorted, "Who indeed. She never showed up, that's why I suggest you eliminate her."

Baron sat up, suddenly interested, "Wait, she didn't show up? Not possible they were all instructed to be here and the roster showed that she arrived…"

"Well, she wasn't, so if she doesn't care enough to be here then why would she-"

Suddenly, all heads turned to hear a chorus of laughter coming from the bushes just to the right of them. Out emerged two figures: one of them recognizable to all three and the other not. Covered in leaves and hair slightly windswept, the two figures made their ways through the bushes and across the lawn, the eyes light with laughter and their voices ringing across the clearing. As they got closer, Kal narrowed his eyes to see that the girl walking next to his brother was sipping wet, his shirt unbuttoned in a sorry attempt to dry himself, and the girl walking barefoot alongside him. Her pure white lace dress has visible grass stains on it and she occasionally stumbles over her toes to run into Kole, who chuckles and shoves her back over to her side. What really surprised him was the presence of what appears to be a tiny _goat,_ trotting along the feet of the girl and avoiding her barely clad feet as she fell in each direction. As the two made their way across the grass, the trio couldn't help but gawk in awe at the sight before them. It was almost miraculous. Kole's eyes had never looked so bright.

"Well, I got you back to the party," Kole chuckled, making a huge gesture with his hands to frantic ice their return, "Didn't I tell you I would?"

"You said you'd get us back _in time,"_ the girl giggled, her expression lighting up in a way that Kal found charming, "and I don't think that arriving once the party is over constitutes as on time."

"Yeah, well, I didn't want to break your tardiness record," Kole teased back, elbowing her in the side, prompting a new wave of hysterical giggles from the girl who ran a few steps ahead. However, her laughter was abruptly halted when she saw who she was now standing before. Her eyes widened in horror at the three figures, all of their jaws slack.

"Oh my- I mean, I didn't mean- well, I-I'm so sorry," her words blended together in a racing apology, her hands playing furiously with the bows on her shoes and her feet rocking back and forth. She was the personification of anxiety, something Kal was familiar with.

"No no no, don't apologise," Kole ran up behind her and grasped her shoulders, appearing intimidating as he stood a whole head above her, "It's not your fault - it's mine."

He turned to his friends, but Kal in particular. His eyes looked honeys and repentant and Kal thought that this was one expression he had forgotten on Kole. It amazed him and he sat in silence as Kole apologized on the ever-shrinking girl's behalf. The goat hid behind both.

"Ok, what is this," Vegas broke the awesome silence, "what are you two," she gestured between Kole and Amoriel with her long, manicured fingernail.

"Umm, well, I don't-"

"No. You stop," Vegas pointed at Amoriel, halting another one of her jumbled apologies, "I want to hear from him," she stuck her hand in her hip and looked expectantly at Kole, who glared at her in return.

"I was helping her hide the goat," he explained, rather forcefully, "he couldn't be at the party."

"And why, pray tell would that take up all of two hours," Vegas' eyes narrowed as she interrogated the elder prince.

"We got lost," he growled, "Back off Vee."

"Yeah, Vegas, be quiet," Baron interrupted, standing up to defend the pair, "look, they just skipped out on the party and we both know that Madame Juno probably would have skinned her alive for keeping the goat at _any_ social event so you _chill,"_ he threw her word from earlier back in her face. She scowled and sat down where he had previously lounged. Amoriel smiled timidly and gratefully at Baron, who returned the smile immediately and prompted an unconscious glare from Kole. His grip tightened on her shoulders, but only so much that she was the only one to notice, and she looked back at him with questioning eyes. He smiled lightly when he saw her face and his hands dropped to his side.

"So," he sighed, "I guess we're done here?"

"Wait, woah woah woah woah woah," Kal snapped out of his gaze quick enough to stand and block the pair from leaving the garden, "I still haven't met Lady Amoriel - that is, I assume that's your name?"

She nodded, beaming, charmed by the prince and at the same time trying to excuse her infinite tardiness, "It is indeed! Do you want to talk now?"

She sounded charming and innocent, like a child asking speaking to adults she didn't know we're in an argument, so they all looked at her incredulously.

"Um, yes! Yes, actually I would," Kal relaxed, though his eyes were still questioning when he looked to his brother, and he offered her his arm, "shall we?"

Amore giggled, and it sounded like a joyous chorus to Kole. She took his arm gracefully and with ease despite her disheveled appearance and glanced back at a Kole, who gave her a friendly smile and a things up. She giggled again and waved. Kal looked back at Kole and mouthed something before escorting Amoriel back through the gardens.

 _We'll talk later._

The remaining three stayed in silence for only a few seconds after the pair disappeared from view. Kole's jaw tightened only so much that Baron was able to notice and quickly broke the silence.

"Ok, Kole, you smell like wet dog. Go take a shower," Baron patted the prince on the back and practically shoved him forward, "Come talk to us when you're look and smell human again."

Kole scoffed and then attempted to laugh it off, joining in with Baron in trying to relieve the awkwardness of the moment before. Vegas just looked at the two boys in disconcerted annoyance, her arms folded and her eyebrows curved.

"Sure, um, I'll see you guys?"  
The other two chorused a blend of "sure" and "yeah bud" and "see you later alligator," - the last one being from Baron, who earned himself an amused, yet scornful, grin from Vegas. They waved as Kole ambled out of the clearing, his entire form dripping and his shoes swinging around as he practically danced with each step. Baron and Vegas looked at each other, eyes narrowed. Baron was the first to speak up.

"This gonna cause problems?"

"Oh yeah."

"You think we can do anything to stop it?"

"Nah, they're screwed up enough as it is," Vegas said, sighing, her head cocking to one side, "they've made it this far with all the shit in their lives… no reason that they can't make it a couple more months."

"But this is different," Baron fully turned to look at the blonde, "It's just- everything's just-" He struggled to find the words, for once in his life. If only he could write them. He sighed, "It's just different."

Vegas sighed, nodding her head and snaking her arms through his, "yeah, it is."

And with that, they both walked back to the palace, knowing that they were the only two people in there who knew how fucked up everything was about to get.

* * *

 **Hey guys!**

 **So, once again, any errors I am so sorry. It's late and I didn't feel like editing (yet again) but I did actually edit the first two parts so go me! Growth! Anyway, I hope you liked it, please review. This was supposed to be up forever ago and I actually had it almost done (I was on that last part) and inspo left me and finals took over so my sincerest apologies. Since it's summer I'm going to be updating a lot more and hopefully by the end of this summer I will have at least most of it done and we can enter the new year with the sequel (Yes. THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL) but now we're really getting into the selection so enjoy the ride!**

 **Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**(A/N) There's some pretty nasty language in this, and I know that I'm not exactly known for my conservatism, but I was feeling especially aggressive writing this because I've had a bad day, so I hope that no one's offended, but I really didn't feel like changing it. So, yeah, please enjoy.**

* * *

 **For Loyalty to the Classics**

Priscilla Bianca Contreras was no fool. Known for her precision, level-headedness, and her ability to keep control of any situation no matter the pressure forced on her shoulders, if there was one thing Priscilla Contreras did best, it was precision under pressure. However, despite all of her preparation and experience in the romance department (it was her job, after all) nothing could have prepared her for this.

"So, does 6:00 work?"

"Ummm," Priscilla stood paralyzed for a second - only a second - before quickly recovering to smile brilliantly at the prince, saying, "absolutely. Perfect. Six is perfect." She gave Kalum a reassuring grin and giggled quietly to herself when she saw the prince let out a sigh of relief, his whole-body unclenching. This boy was precious…

"Wonderful! Then I suppose I'll see you then… Can I pick you up in the Women's Room?"

Priscilla nodded, a bit dazedly, but it gave him enough confidence to take her hand and, giving her a twinkling grin and bending at the waist, he kissed it gently. The tender gesture was enough to elicit a deep red blush from the Latina beauty. As she once again regained her composure, Priscilla gave Kalum what she desperately hoped was a controlled, charming smile and breathed, "Until then, Your Highness." She gave a shallow curtsey, her eyes trained on him, and turned to re-enter her room before he could say anything else. Leaning her head back on her door as she closed it on the prince of Illea, Priscilla gave a little squeal before turning back around with a giddy smile and a little spring in her step.

Well that was surreal.

"So? How did it go? What happened? Tell us everything!"

Giggling, Priscilla flung herself down onto the bed in the center of the room next to her friends, who were already on their knees and giddy after listening through the door to her conversation with the Crown Prince. Amoriel, whose room they were all invading, was already on top of her, practically trying to shake the answer out of her as she jumped up and down on the bed. Next to her were their two other friends: Mirielle Carlisle and Imogen Heffernan. Both of them were fellow Selected, and both of them were just as giddy as Amore, the work they had just been doing a minute ago, completely forgotten.

Amore had invited Priscilla over to her room to help her redecorate - something Priscilla, of course, had the eye for, but didn't particularly want to carry out. If Amore wanted her to scatter flowers and lace around the room, or arrange macaroons on the tea table, she could do that. If she expected her to move the enormous four poster bed with the princess canopy and everything halfway across the room, that was another story. But they did it anyway. Thankfully though, they had left the door open just in case they had to move furniture out of the room, and their grunts and groans of pain had attracted the attention of Miri and Immy from all the way down the hallway. Girls who were ready and willing to move a couch on a moment's notice, as well as pick out fabric patterns and flower arrangements, were the kind of girls Priscilla liked hanging with.

Kalum coming by had been a surprise to all of them, especially since he seemed to know to come to Amoriel's room instead of Priscilla's, but they didn't dwell on it. When he asked to see her, of course she went, but she didn't expect him to be so forward… or sudden… or to ask her first...

"Well…" Priscilla sighed dreamily for effect, "Let's just say they don't call him Prince Charming for nothing…"

The room burst into giggles and squeals of delight, all four of the girls either tackling, hugging, or bouncing around one another, frightening the animals of the room who had previously been lounging peacefully on their respective beds. Priscilla laughed when she saw her own little cotton ball with legs shaking at her feet and yapping for mommy to pick her up.

"Awwww, darling," Priscilla laughed as she picked up her Teacup Pomeranian, Beyoncé "Bey" Contreras, and held her to her chest as she shook, "it's ok, mommy's got you." The other girls laughed as she cuddled the little fluff ball and Amore picked up Mr. Macaron, who was already jealous of all the attention Bey was getting.

"Ok, so I know that you have your goat," Mirielle spoke to Amore, her voice a tad breathy as she ceased her giggles, "but is the pig also yours? Because while I think that they're cute… well have you ever considered getting a dog or a cat or something…." She looked a bit warily at the squealing, pink, miniature pig at her feet, looking a bit like Bey had a minute before, begging to be picked up. The girls broke into another fit of laughter at Mirielle's expense while she blushed, but Priscilla was the first to speak up.

"Pancake's also mine," she picked him up onto the bed as well, "sorry if he freaks you out Miri- he's just needy," she poked the pig in the side, "I told you to behave yourself here! I can't take you anywhere…"

As if right on cue, Pancake let out another high-pitched squeal and nuzzled Priscilla, subsequently shoving Bey out of her arms. The tiny dog yapped in indignation, and jumped onto Imogen, who shrieked in response. All four girls, dressed in the palace's finest day-dresses and heels, with hair and makeup styled to perfection, were all bouncing up and down on the bed. There were fabric samples and couch cushions strewn across the room, and barnyard animals bleating in their arms. Yes, these were the girls vying to marry the Crown Prince of the world's leading superpower nation - the future Queen of Illea.

"Seriously though, tell us what happened Pris," Amoriel nudged her friend, "I knew from the moment he called you over that you would be a favorite," she said, smirking conspiratorially, something Priscilla learned Amoriel barely ever did. It was either doe-eyed beam or nothing with her.

"He asked me out! I mean, obviously, but he didn't say what we were going to be doing - just that he would pick me up in the Women's Room at 6:00," Priscilla smiled to herself as all the girls sighed, "It was very… mysterious." She smirked suggestively, as she stroked Pancake in her lap. In reality, the prince looked quite squeamish, but Priscilla wasn't one to judge. Despite their easy conversation at the brunch the day prior, she honestly hadn't expected to be invited on a date so soon. She assumed that she was the first one! After all, it was only 11:00 in the morning - what else would he have done?

"Ah," Mirielle sighed, closing her eyes dreamily, "It's so romantic, isn't it? We get to watch Prince Charming fall in love."

"A little scary too," Imogen added in softly, her gentle blush matching the pink of her skirt, "I mean, it's the prince… and he's- well he's," the doll-faced girl stuttered, her gaze flickering downward as her blush deepened, "I-I don't know… it's just that I've never been really comfortable with men and-"

"It's ok," Amoriel touched the girl's shoulder and smiled comfortingly, "neither have I- but I write romance novels so consorting with real men isn't really necessary- I can just make them up!"

Priscilla laughed at her friends as they compared their levels of innocence, each of them blushing madly and giggling occasionally. Priscilla guessed that she was the most experienced one there, which was really saying something. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. She hoped it wouldn't be the same this time around. For now, though, she would just enjoy her time with her friends, and hope that what she had with Kal was something more.

"Hey, how about we go wait in the Women's Room," Priscilla suggested, interrupting their conversation. She smirked, "We can go scout out the competition."

* * *

There were two Women's Rooms: The Queen's Ladies Room that she allowed for the Selected to use during their stay at the palace, and the separate pool house that was renovated as a Selected Room. It was a white-washed brick, Victorian-style building with 2 story windows surrounding the main sitting room, which opened to a newly updated stone patio and pool (not to mention a pool boy who was already catching some eyes). The lustrous and airy sitting room had opened all of its windows, allowing for the slightest breeze to send the billowing white curtains into a frenzy, reminding Priscilla of the glamorous imagery of the "billowing white curtains" that she had read about in the Great Gatsby. The room certainly had an undeniable charm to it that was no doubt manufactured and refined with astonishing rigor, but Priscilla couldn't help but be impressed by that. Nothing this beautiful could be natural and the room reflected a sense of perfection that she deeply appreciated.

Priscilla assumed that Kalum had been referring to the latter because that's where the Selected were encouraged to spend their time. None of the girls minded. This one did have a pool. On their trip through the corridors and into the vast gardens, the ladies got to know each other quite well! Priscilla learned that Mirielle was in fact a biochemist, or rather, a student in the field, hence why she didn't seem to be comfortable in a large social setting upon their initial meeting. The poor girl probably spent all day cooped up inside of a laboratory hardly initiating any human interaction whatsoever, but she seemed to be doing fine now, laughing and gossiping with the other girls as if they were old friends.

Imogen seemed to be of a similar situation, although her disposition was significantly different from Mirielle's as she seemed to immediately connect with the rest of their group upon her arrival. She was an Egyptology Major, among other things, but she was a complete nerd about it! Priscilla found it charming whenever she would suddenly make an Egyptian Theology reference that none of them understood, but she wouldn't seem to comprehend that they couldn't. She just laughed at her own little joke and proceeded with the conversation. Amoriel couldn't help laughing along with her because she was such a "gosh-darn-it" good person, as she would say. Priscilla couldn't help thinking, for the thousandth time as they entered the pool house, how nerdy her friends were.

"So, just out of curiosity, is The Mummy real?" Inquired Amoriel earnestly. "Because I can't stand horror movies so I just need some concrete confirmation from an expert that the undead are not going to dissolve my face before I decide to watch the movie…"

"Ha! Yeah, I can't reassure you of that. It very well could happen," Imogen chuckled at what she assumed had been a joke from the caramel haired girl. Amoriel couldn't tell the difference. She stood there stunned and horrified as Imogen continued past her to catch up with Mirielle, who was already holding the door to the pool house open for them. Before another word could be uttered or more damage could be done, Priscilla quickly sidled alongside the poor girl and snaked her arm though her own, whispering, "She's just kidding Amore, she's just kidding."

The girl let out a sigh of relief as Priscilla laughed, and the two strolled arm and arm through the French doors. When they stepped through into the brisk air conditioning, Priscilla couldn't help the sharp breath she took when she saw who was gracing the room with her presence.

Vegas Desrosiers sat in the dead center of the room, lounging on the chaise with her bone-breaking, mouth-watering, blood-red stilettos kicked up on the armrest as she lay with her head back on her hands. Her pale curls had been tousled so that they looked natural and buoyant, but most definitely were not. Priscilla couldn't help the pang of jealousy she felt at seeing how well the socialite pulled off a black mini skirt, an oversized men's button-up, and an oversized sweater that seemed to Priscilla to be too old, wool, and ripped to be considered fashionable, and yet the blonde made it work anyway. She could tell as she looked around the room that she was not the only one who was thrown by the presence of Her Majesty. The entire room, which consisted of a good majority of the Selected Ladies, was either whispering in low tones, glancing over their shoulders, or walking discreetly past the beauty to maybe catch a word or a phrase – something to explain why on earth she was there. The only two Selected that weren't walking on nails around the room were the two Selected sitting and chatting on the couch and on the floor next to Vegas.

Lady Ilaria and Lady Katerina were already laughing, chatting, discussing, and gossiping with Vegas, who, much to Priscilla and Amoriel's surprise, seemed to be laughing, chatting, discussing, and gossiping along with them. And vividly! The blonde bombshell's eyes lit up as Katerina recalled something that the other two girls seemed to find hilarious and burst out laughing.

Birds of a feather flock together, Priscilla thought.

It was obvious why Vegas had suddenly befriended those two Selected. Both were stunning, intelligent, charming, and all other adjectives of class that someone like Vegas would find appealing in a friend. What one lacked, the other made up for. Although Katerina was a Four, a factory worker at that, she was personable, if not a tad proud! Priscilla would know. She had talked to her at the brunch the day before and they bonded over their aesthetically pleasing Instagram feed and their mutual love of The Alchemist, although when Priscilla asked if it was her favorite book, her exact response was "that's like asking me to pick my favorite child!" She wasn't rude or anything, but her in-depth and thoroughly thought out analysis on the book, as well as her holier-than-thou tone was enough to tell Priscilla that it wasn't worth challenging her on anything regarding that book. Or anything at all, perhaps. Of course, she was equally as beautiful. Stunning, even. With her limber body and piercing blue-green eyes, Katerina was clearly model material.

As for Ilaria, while she was no doubt gorgeous, her immediate appearance was intimidating and rather sharp, as if she couldn't help but dislike you before even uttering a word. However, she was a Two, and a famous one at that. When your parents are Stephen and Soledad Beckett, it's hard to keep out of the spotlight. Not to mention when your equally notorious brother is out causing even more scandal for you and your family. Ilaria was certainly one of the wildcards in the Selection. The Beckett family was legendary, and the scandal trailing Ilaria and her lingerie label was equally as so. No one knew what had happened to her for the past year, although everyone assumed that she had fled before any more damage could be done to her reputation with the lawsuit. Nonetheless, here she was – out of the blue finding more trouble for herself. Still, Priscilla found herself awed by the dark-haired beauty with her angular features and over-eccentric couture ensemble. It was hard not to feel some level of wonderment at the trio who gave off an air of invincibility. They were untouchable. So, of course, Amore wanted to touch them.

"Well… I suppose there's no harm in saying hi right," the girl smiled innocently at Priscilla, who shook her head vigorously in response.

"No," she breathed, her voice shrill, "we are not going over there so you can just make more-"

"Amoriel! Priscilla! Girls, would you like to join us," Vegas called over to them, the corners of her mouth simpering as her eyes lit up, but not in the way Priscilla would have preferred.

"Friends," Priscilla seethed through her teeth as she plastered a smile across her face. She didn't like this. Mirielle and Imogen, who had struck up conversation with two other Selected, girls Priscilla recognized as Lady Alexandria and Lady Samantha, had decided to come over and join them. Mirielle looked remarkably more diminutive and timid as she dragged her feet behind Imogen to meet Vegas and her squad. Priscilla couldn't say that she felt much better about sitting across from the socialite. She'd never been particularly fond of Ms. Desrosiers, but that was inconsequential now, wasn't it?

"Mind if we join?" Imogen approached timidly, though her voice was still clear.

"Sure," Katerina spoke up before Vegas got the chance, though Vegas didn't seem to mind. She simply watched as all the girls filed in. All others from around the room spied in envy as Ilaria was even allowed to move over to sit beside Vegas as others filled the seats of the couch. Ilaria looked as if she was on the verge of bouncing as people continued to sit down, a full-blown beam playing on the corners of her lips as she sat down and fixed her dress and hair. Some clearly wanted to join in, but no others were brave enough to.

"Thank you, Vegas," Amoriel beamed rather forcibly at the blonde as she sat down with Priscilla on her right and Mirielle on her left, Imogen lounging on the rug at her feet, "it's awfully quiet in here – I feel a bit suffocated." Her laughed jingled through the room and bounced off the walls, creating quite the joyful echo. Vegas laughed along with her, almost equally as forcibly, and the other girls joined in, although Ilaria was a bit hesitant to.

"Oh, don't worry about the quiet," Vegas spoke in a falsely honeyed tone, "The rest of these girls are so boring and quaint. But you're not. Are you, Lady Amoriel?"

Wow, Priscilla thought, THAT attack was immediate.

Around the room, heads could be seen ducking and scowls were pointed from all directions. Vegas didn't notice, of course. Or perhaps she did, but she simply didn't care to acknowledge them.

"Of course she's not boring," Priscilla jumped in, her hand going to Amore's as the girl ducked her head abashed, "She's-"

"Quite worldly, yes," Vegas leaned back, smirking, one lean leg crossing over the other. "I suspected-"

"Don't be a bitch, Vegas," Ilaria finally spoke up, rolling her vibrant, poignant green eyes at the blonde as she kicked her Dolce and Gabbana heel over her leg, "It's not becoming."

"Don't use your Buddha Voodoo shit on me," Vegas retorted, a little more playfully despite her harsh tone, "I was just making conversation with the girl." Ilaria couldn't help hiding her face in her hands, trying to un-hear what Vegas had just said.

"Vegas, I'm pretty sure that 'don't be a bitch' is not in the Mahayana Sutras, or in any of the Buddhist sacred text, but, you know, it's real nice to know that you're listening."

The other girls laughed at Ilaria's little quip- even Vegas, who simply waved her off as the others began talking.

"So, you're Buddhist," Priscilla led, hoping to start up a different topic.

"Well, no, not technically," Ilaria began, her face lighting up a bit as Priscilla initiated the conversation, "I've studied the religion first-hand, and I've also read much of their sacred texts, but I haven't officially been converted. I'm considering it though! It's fascinating, really-"

"Yeah, um, let's not nerd out just yet, girl, ok?" Vegas interrupted again, sitting up and tossing her hair back. Her signature cheeky smirk felt more forced as she quite obviously tried to direct the attention off of Ilaria, who sat quietly affronted by her friend's interruption.

"Let's get to know our new friends," Vegas' gaze weighted on Amoriel, scrutinizing every nervous flinch with her steely blue eyes, "So, Amoriel, what is it you say you do? You're a writer?"

The girl nodded, her curls bouncing carelessly as her fingers fiddled with the baby pink ribbon on her dress. The flower crown she was wearing dropped in front of her eyes and she stumbled to fix it, mumbling apologises to Vegas for something she didn't do.

"Ah," Vegas' smile turned sickly sweet, "that must be interesting... What kind of writing do you do?"  
"Um, well, r-right now it's, um, greeting cards and stuff like that… but I do some creative writing on the sides and-"

"What kind of creative writing?"

Amore's face warmed to match her dress. Clearing her throat, she mumbled, "R-romantic novels-"

"HA! Of course you do!"

Vegas' face contorted into what resembled a hissing snake, though much prettier and far more deadly, with scales of the latest couture. Priscilla couldn't help but sneer at the blonde's harassment, and was about to speak up when Imogen cut her to the chase.

"Bitch, I don't know what devil's urine you've been throwing in your coffee, but don't go spitting it at Virgin Mary reincarnate over here," her voice echoed through the Women's Room, drawing curious and astonished eyes towards their little alcove, "I know that your day-to-day mood is period cramps, but please go waste that energy on someone who will actually pretend like they care - like whatever horny pimp you're screwing at the moment."

There was dead silence.

No one dared to so much as breathe as Vegas and Imogen stood head to head in the very center of the room. Both women seethed, though it looked more comical on Imogen, who wore a virgin-white sweater with a flowy, pink midi skirt that was so scandalous it dared to show her ankles. However, the mousy brunette with the white ribbon in her hair almost looked even more formidable than the Devil Wears Prada poster girl. Vegas wasn't having it.

"Listen, Jessica Day," she seethed, "I could stand here and insult your fish out of water attitude right now, or maybe even your Mary-Jane-esque, my-vagina-froze-back-in-the-1950s-along-with-my-dignity ensemble today - or, I could give you a word of advice," she took a step forward and breathed into the crook of Imogen's neck loud enough for those standing closest to them to overhear, "Learn. Your. Place. I'm the crazy bitch around here," she stood up again and smiled sweetly, "It would do you some good to remember your Bible school teachings. Lesson one: don't fuck with the devil spawn."

Imogen returned her smile almost immediately, not even fazed for a second, and responded, "Oh honey, I don't fuck with devil spawn. I'm goddamn satan herself."

And on that happy note, the room broke into complete and utter madness as the two angry girls tried to kill each other.

* * *

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF SIR ELTON JOHN HAPPENED HERE?!"  
Kalum had walked into what looked like a reenactment of Fight Club. The room was in utter chaos as Vegas and a feral looking Imogen were violently torn from each other. Kalum had seen the look in Vegas' eyes before - many times, actually. The innocent, nervous Imogen that he had met the day before, however, was nowhere to be seen in the aggressive, vicious Imogen that fought away her friends in pursuit of the blonde. His date, Priscilla, was clinging on desperately to Imogen's arm, shouting obscenities at her, while Amore and Mireille sat shaking on the couch, tears in both of their eyes. Katerina and Ilaria were holding back Vegas, Katerina more so than Ilaria, who, to her credit, was doing a rather good job of holding her ground in 6 inch, studded stilettos.

"We knew it was gonna happen eventually," Kole sighed, looking at the horrendous scene in amusement rather than disgust, until his eyes caught sight of the cowering Amoriel on the couch, and he rushed over to her side. Baron, who had been standing beside Kalum as well, watching in horror, practically sprinted to Vegas. He shoved the two girls aside, and held Vegas to his chest, immediately calming her down. Kalum, during all of this, sat in silent rage.

Finally, after both girls had been torn apart to opposite sides of the room, and the presence of both princes had been recognized, the turmoil in the room ceased. Kalum's rage emanated from his eyes and was almost tangible as he strode purposefully to the center of the room, his eyes first going to Vegas. The blonde seemed to be the only living being in the room who held no fear, regard, or even deference for the Crown Prince of Illea. Shrugging out of Baron's reluctant grasp, Vegas marched up to Kalum with smug pride shining in her eyes. It was a far swing from the fury she just used to tear at Imogen's hair.

"Kal, I know that you're probably a little confused, but I'm telling you right now that this little bi-"

"Spare me Vegas," Kalum's voice was chilling, his eyes now stone cold, "It's barely been a day. One. Day. Vegas."

He turned on his heel to shove his hands through his hair. Kalum had been looking forward to this - a lot actually. After awkward first meetings, keeping Kole in check, and trying to deal with all the new stress of being the heir, but not wanting to be, a nice date with a beautiful girl sounded pretty damn good. And then Vegas had to go and fucking ruin it!

He glanced at Imogen, or who he thought was Imogen. Her eyes were not the same. Instead of the fluttering, brown, doe eyes that he had been charmed by the day before, he was met with black, unapologetic dark orbs. Or, at least, they looked black. Sarcastic, daring, defiant eyes were trained on him, seducing him.

Kalum spoke not a word, but simply stepped forward tentatively, asking silent permission to move closer. Instead of speaking, Imogen simply smirked, a cruel smirk, yet simultaneously flirtatious. It looked entirely too wrong on her. Before she could speak, he stepped forward swiftly and touched her crossed arms, trailing his fingers down to hers, and keeping unbroken eye contact.

Softly, he spoke, "Imogen… what happened…"

Her lips parted, an innocent gasp passing through. Something seemed to change. Her arms tightened around her torso and her eyes, while not breaking contact with a coaxing Kalum, began to tear. They fluttered, and a pitiful sob escaped as she whispered, no louder than a drop of water in a sink:

"I don't know."

* * *

Baron watched as Imogen was led away by Kalum from the room, leaving the rest of his guests stupefied. The sudden change in the girl's demeanor was enough to throw anyone, but then again so was the fight. Baron's mind was still reeling over how sudden it all seemed. Kalum was right: it was only the first day. He expected Vegas to cause trouble with the Selected from the very beginning. Not only as Kalum like a brother to her, but she simply wasn't good with new people and only those closest to her knew that. She could sit on her throne and play "queen bitch" all day if she liked, but at the end of the day it was all a ruse and only Baron and the Princes knew that. They wouldn't dare let on that they knew though - it was best for her ego.

"Alright," Baron sighed, raising his voice for all to hear, "all of you can go back to your rooms, I think it's just about time for you to be getting ready for dinner."  
A chorus of "sure"s and "Of course"s erupted throughout the room as all the girls filed out in groups of two or three, gossiping about the scene they had just witnessed. Vegas whipped around to face him looking thoroughly agitated by the complete lack of regard for her complaints or even her presence.

 _"Elle est folle, je vais la tuer et faire de sa vie un enfer-"_

Vegas' French came out whenever she was pissed, and right now, she was beyond mental.

Baron rolled his eyes in annoyance, having dealt with this side of Vegas before. "No, you're not going to make her life a living hell - I don't even know why you were fighting with her in the first place!"

Vegas' eyes flamed, but she took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. Turning back to Baron, she began in a slow, steady voice, "I wasn't fighting with her, I was fighting with sleeping beauty over there," she jerked her head over to a shivering Amoriel being held in Kole's tight embrace as they both walked out the door. She shook her head fervently as the last two left the building and they were finally left alone - almost.

Priscilla had been going to get ice from the private kitchen when she came back to find only the two Report hosts left in the room. Vegas was pacing as Baron stood stiff as a board, listening to her furious rant about Amoriel. Silently, reluctant to make herself known, Priscilla hid herself behind the pillar beneath the upstairs loft and tried to slow her breathing as she listened to the supposedly private conversation.

"She's a nuisance! The girl couldn't even bother to be on time yesterday, thinking to herself 'Oh, it won't be an inconvenience to anyone if I miss out on my first meeting with my future husband' - as if, by the way - 'and I'm sure that he'll be ok if I run off on a private little expedition with his brother, because I'm too innocent for anyone to suspect that we did anything,'" she mockingly fluttered her eyes and shrugged her shoulders, "indecent," she drawled the word as if it was poison to all but her, and she wanted to see everyone else writhe under the pain. Scoffing, she turned on her heel and strode over to the mini bar to make herself a drink as Baron stood in silence. Not in confusion, but silent, and composed, understanding. He looked at her as if seeing her quite clearly after being blinded for a millenia. It was quiet for a couple of minutes as Vegas fumed and made her drink. For a second, Priscilla even thought that they had both left, but the tension in the air was quite tangible and she knew that they had not.

"It's just painful to see that little princess hanging all over Kole when a) he's clearly going through some inner turmoil shit right now," she took a swig of her vodka martini, "and b) she's in his brother's Selection! I mean really, could you be more problematic?" Her cynicism was penetrating as she gave a sardonic chuckle more to herself than anyone else. Baron gazed at her.

"Is that what this is all about? Kole?" His expression was constant, while she was taken aback by his choice of wording.

"Kole? What sick asscrap are you spewing now, Baron?"

"You heard me," he took a step forward, "Is this about Kole? Is that what all of this is about - you're just jealous that Kole's moving on?"

Vegas' laugh was deafening, ear splitting even, as she mocked the solemn expression on Baron's face. Letting her laughter fade on it's own, the room went silent yet again as she took in his words. He was serious. Dead Serious. Heart-achingly serious. As she finally realized this, her eyes darkened and her voice solidified.

"We dated for one month. And it was five years ago - when are you going to get over it?!" Her eyes widened in realization. "You haven't. Of course you haven't, because you're the same judgy, little, jealous perfectionist that you were when we were fifteen," she scoffed and shook her head, setting her drink down, "look, I know that we haven't exactly had the best relationship over the years, nay, it's probably the most unstable that I've ever had, and that's saying a lot," she took a deep breath, shaking her head, either trying to clear away anger or tears, "but I would hope that you might have a little more trust in me than to think that I would let my own personal feelings interfere with the lives of Kal and Kole - two psychos that I deign to call family."

She ran her fingers through her blonde locks and patted off non existent dust from her sweater. Baron had never seen her more undone. It was unnerving.

"So you do have personal feelings?"

She whipped back around to him, incredulous. "What? No! God, you're missing the entire point-"

"No, I don't think that I am, Vegas!" His voice bellowed through the pool house, finally releasing his anger on the blonde, who was immediately taken aback. "I know you! I know you, Vegas, and I know when you're truly happy and I know when you're truly sad and when you're truly jealous and I know JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING TO DO WITH YOU," he took a deep breath, trying to compose himself in front of a terrified Vegas, "and I know that since the beginning of time itself - since the first day I met you, and you ran up with your little Marilyn Monroe dress trying to find a draft so you had an excuse to show the princes your fancy, new Parisian underwear - that you weren't the kind of girl to give up something that you set your eyes on."  
Vegas never had tears in her eyes. In fact, after the first sentence, they hardened, and she asked, "And what, pray tell, gave you that impression?" Her voice never shook.

"You stole the underwear from the Queen herself. They didn't even fit you right."

Vegas couldn't bring herself to laugh, even though she wanted to. It was her deepest fear that if she tried to laugh, or even smile, that she would burst into tears. It took everything in her to say, "Then I guess you've got me all figured out."

Baron didn't make another gesture. He didn't speak; he didn't move; he didn't breathe. He stood speechless, not out of choice but because he had nothing else to say. There was nothing else he could say. Vegas simply nodded, pursing her lips, trying to keep the stinging in her eyes at bay.

"Selfish. Materialistic. Fake. Slutty. Yup, I think you just about covered it Baron, thank you-"

And with that, she strode swiftly out of the room, spilling her cocktail on the way out. Baron didn't turn to stop her. He didn't think that he wanted to, or at least he didn't think that he could. There was nothing he could say or do to rectify the horrible things that he had just said. But did they need to be rectified? He wasn't sure. All he was sure about was that he was tired and he was hungry, and only one of those things could be solved in his lifetime. So he left.

And Priscilla sat alone, not sure what to do.

* * *

 **OOOOO lots of cliffhangers this chapter! What will happen with Baron and Vegas? Will they ever know that Priscilla witnessed all of it? How about Koriel - how can so much be against them, and is there even a "them". And what was going on with Imogen? Severe mood swings perhaps? Wait and see on the next episode of "The Better Version of One Tree Hill"**

 **Well there you go guys! Yes, it's been all summer, but I'm back aren't I! And I'm not gonna make empty promises that I can't keep about updating every week or every other week or making any sort of schedule, but I CAN promise you that I will never take this long to update again. In fact, I'm in kind of a heat right now so I'm feeling the writing mojo, and there'll more than likely be another chapter out soon - one a little fluffier than this one. I can make up for the lack of a first date.**

 **XOXO Gossip Girl**


	9. Chapter 9

**For Control**

The silence was deafening. Kalum's breathing was constant, and body motionless. His eyes were propped open, gazing at the ceiling and waiting for sleep to befall him, but it never did. This didn't happen very often - Kalum not being able to fall asleep, that is. The strange thing was, it wasn't that he _wanted_ to fall asleep (he didn't take as much solace in it as Kole often did) but that he knew he had to,if only out of responsibility to the work he must accomplish the following morning at six. Kalum was one of the very few guys his age who thought of sleep as a task as opposed to a privilege. The idea of sleep was routine, not enjoyable, just as trying to _fall_ asleep was a task, not a comfort.

Anxieties about his day, and the next day, and the day after that spun through his head at a million miles per minute as his chest rose and fell just off the beat of his breath. It was satisfying to know that, in spite of his shortcomings, he had the power to control his breath. That might be the only thing that he _could_ control, but it was enough. That's what he told himself - it was enough.

* * *

" _Would you like for me to tell her?"_

 _Would he? Should he? Kalum didn't know._

" _No- no I'd like to do it myself."_

 _He turned his back on the doctor, forcefully exhaling as he left the office. His head fell back on the door as he shut it behind him, almost completely forgetting about the small, doll-faced girl sitting on the couch next to him. Her hair was scantily held into a messy bun, her watering doe eyes hid behind glasses too thick for her face, and her fingers fiddled with the hem of her floral skirt. The enormous sweater that she was wearing made her look smaller than she truly was, pooling around her wrists, and she shrunk back into it when Kalum turned his sorrowful gaze on her, though he tried so hard to mask it._

" _You were gone for awhile."  
He breathed. That's all he wanted to do. He just wanted to breathe and forget that anything else mattered. Instead, he sat down next to her on the cold leather couch._

" _I know I was."_

 _There was a pause. Fear shone in her eyes, and he deeply regretted continuing._

* * *

It was awful. He had never felt more intrusive or ashamed. It wasn't his fault and he knew that, but he felt responsible. Maybe it was sympathy for a broken soul, or maybe it was guilt riding on him for a girl who was meant to be his responsibility, but Kalum felt like he had done this to her, or somehow made it worse.

In a sudden rush of frantic agitation, Kalum sat up, feeling a shiver of cold air as he stepped out of his silk sheets. He balanced on the edge of his bed, shifting from foot to foot, feeling the imprints of the chilled floor on his soles. It was fruitless. He wasn't going to sleep. It wasn't worth it. So, he stepped out of bed and strode to the door.

* * *

 _What was she thinking?_

 _Was it even her?_

 _How was he to know what to do?_

 _Should he speak?_

 _Should he hug her?_

 _Should he touch her?_

 _Was it safe to?_

 _Taking a deep breath, Kalum moved from his seat next to the poor girl and kneeled in front of her, his eyes still lowered to the ground. He felt and heard her sharp intake of breath as he placed his hands tenderly on her knees and tried to reach for her hands. They were warm, yet shivering. Tentatively, he raised his eyes to her own, and found that she was watching him almost pleadingly. His heart broke._

" _How long," she whispered._

" _They don't know," he responded, keeping his eyes glued to hers. He owed her that stability, at least._

" _Why, though-" her voice broke, choking on her own tears. Water broke from her eyes, and it almost did from his too, but he was determined to be strong, if only for her sake._

" _It's rare. In fact, some people used to doubt that it even exists, but-"_

" _But they think that I have it," she finished his sentence for him, gazing at him sorrowfully; knowingly._

" _Yes," he held his breath, "Is there anyone that you would like me to call?"_

 _God, he felt awful about this._

 _She shook her head, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Kalum sat there petrified, not knowing what to do or say. He wanted to hug her, hold her, and tell her that everything would be alright. But he didn't know. In fact, it might_ not _be alright._

* * *

There were no lights on in the hallway, which was to be expected. The Selected weren't allowed out of their rooms past 10 and the rule applied to him as well during this time. Joseph, the guard who stood outside of his door at night, had fallen asleep. It wasn't a problem. If there really was an emergency, he would probably wake up.

Barefoot and freezing without his warm sheets, Kalum walked on the balls of his feet down the carpeted hallway. He didn't know where he was going, or what he wanted to do when he got there, but he was glad to be out of his bed. His pace quickened the longer he walked, and every time a thought of the day would pop into his head, he only walked faster, trying to outrun the memories. He was nearly jogging by the time he reached the stairs and was winding his way down to the 2nd floor - the Selected floor.

It sat in pitch black, just as his own floor did, with no way of telling where to find a way out - except for a light. It was faint, only a glimmer behind what appeared to be a door, but it was there. Curious as to who could possibly be up besides himself, Kalum stepped towards it.

* * *

" _Imogen…"_

 _She turned her gaze back on him, her tear-burnt cheeks darkening as he pleaded with her to say something._

" _What's the treatment?"_

" _Therapy. Medicine. Family. Friends," he paused, "If you want to leave I'm not going to stop you. I just… I would just want to know that you're ok and if you stay here, well-"_

 _He stopped, she wasn't looking at him anymore. Her head swung and she averted her eyes, allowing fragments of her hair to fall and shade her face. She didn't want to talk anymore. He knew that._

" _Should I leave?"_

 _She nodded._

" _Do you want to go back to your room?"_

 _Again, she nodded._

" _I'll have the doctor send a nurse or a PA to-"_

" _No," she looked back up at him, her eyes panicked, "please don't! I don't want to be watched over, I can't have someone in there in case-" She stopped. Not even wanting to say it._

" _Unless…_ she _comes out again?"_

 _Imogen nodded, her eyes watering again. She looked like hell. For two days, she had sat in that tiny room and waited and answered questions and taken tests and waited some more. For two days, she had gotten barely any sleep without someone monitoring her system or waiting by her bedside. It had been hell, and she looked like she had just been there and back. It probably felt that way._

 _All she wanted was to sleep by herself. Well, that probably wasn't_ all _that she wanted, considering the circumstances, but it was the least she could ask for. And he couldn't even give her that._

" _I'm sorry…" His voice broke, and he couldn't even say it. She turned away, shrugging away from his touch. Her fingers wrapped even tighter around the sleeves of her sweater as she cocooned herself into it._

" _It's fine," she spoke with such vulnerability, such fragility, "just send whoever."_

 _Kalum nodded. Without another word, before he could rush to her and break down, he strode with purpose out of the room and into the dark, empty hallway._

 _That was what a King was meant to do. That was what he would have to do. Or Kole. Either way, he had to stop. He had to stop feeling it. It was driving him mad; the feelings were driving him mad. And they were doing the same to her, too._

* * *

The door erupted into obnoxious creaks and screeches as he attempted to open it discreetly. Kalum cringed, trying to open it even slower, but eventually just broke through the opening. Warm light flooded into the hallway and he stepped into the brightly lit room.

Paint was splattered onto the plush, white carpets and clothes were strewn across the floor and bed, making it clear that no maid had been through there. The room was luminously candlelit, and the balcony doors were thrown open to silhouette the blonde figure on the floor with moonlight. It was a magical moment. Too bad Kal had to go and ruin it.

"Who are you?"  
Scrutinizing blue eyes fell on him from behind thick-rimmed glasses. The girl, who Kalum recognized as Lady Lydia de Talleyrand, was sitting cross legged on the carpet surrounded by multitudes of brushes, cups, and colors, with an enormous canvas laid out in front of her. What appeared to be a man and a woman, shrouded in starlight, danced across the paper, and Kalum couldn't help but stare in awe at the artistry before him.

"Um, hello? Earth to intruder," Lydia whispered harshly, interrupting Kalum's thoughts, "Who the hell are you?" It was then that he realize that, while he could make out the curl of her blonde locks, and the words "No Pants Are The Best Pants" on her sweatshirt, she couldn't even make out the features of his face.

"Uh, hi, yeah, sorry, it's me- Prince Kalum..." his voice tapered off when he suddenly became unsure of himself, "I didn't mean to interrupt you, I just saw light and I couldn't sleep so I decided to, uh, come and see…"  
Why was he telling her this? Why couldn't he just play it cool? He wasn't doing anything wrong!

"Holy shi- um, yeah it's no problem. I mean, unless you're going to get me in trouble for staying up past curfew, because in that case I would have to kidnap and lobotomize you." Her tone was dead serious.

"Nah, I don't think that'll be necessary," he chuckled lightly to himself, feeling a bit more comfortable. They were both still whispering, and Kalum stood motionless, not sure what to do as he stood near the center of a room that was not his own. Lydia looked at him expectantly, finally saying, "What, do you want a formal invitation? C'mon, sit down." She gestured with her head, her hands too full with paint brushes and a paint plate. Kalum smiled graciously, heaving a sigh of relief as he sat down next to her on the carpet, getting a better look at her painting.

"It's magnificent."

"Wow, big word," the blonde laughed, finally dropping the whisper, "thanks, I guess. It's nothing special, just a bit of stress relief."  
"Stress relief?"

Kalum understood the concept. He even used art as a medium as well, but this? This wasn't stress relief. This was true art. He looked over at the blonde as she went back to outlining the two figures on the page. Even in the dimly lit room, he could tell that she was blushing.

"Yeah. Stress relief. Emotional turmoil spelled out in colors."

"Well it's beautiful. Very Monet."

Lydia snorted, "Of course you would think it's 'Monet'. Don't get me wrong, the guy's great, but it's so typical."

Kalum sat upright, pretending to be affronted, "I happen to _adore_ Monet, thank you very much. Ugh, you pretentious art critics are so snobbish…"  
"Ha! Said the Crown Prince of Illea."

" _Wow_ the judgment's really coming out now isn't it!" Kalum reached for a paint brush, fiddling with it in his fingers as he naturally would.  
"Not judgment, simply an accredited opinion." Lydia side eyed him, smirking. She continued casually, using a soft touch to aggressively accent the distant skies. Kalum took that time to study her features. He had never really noticed before, even when they first met at the garden party, how pretty she was. Her blonde curls and blue eyes weren't exactly striking, but for all intents and purposes, she was pretty in it's most generic and natural sense. Everything about her seemed natural. Perhaps it was because she was an artist - it was meant to be natural, or else she wasn't doing it right. A lock of her golden hair fell in front of her eyes, and before he could stop himself, he reached to move it away - with the paint brush that was still in his hand.

" _Holy sh-"_

Dodging the brush, Lydia sent it flying across the room to add just another stain onto the expensive, fur carpet. Kalum was mortified. He galnced at her apologetically, awaiting her criticism, an apology already on his tongue.

"I'm so-"

"See! This is why we can't have nice things." Lydia turned to face him, her eyes livid and humorous. She was smiling. It was beautiful. Her eyes brightened the dimly lit room and a deep, throaty chuckle erupted from her lips. It was grossly misplaced, coming from her delicate, feminine figure. Everything about her suggested a pleasant, silvery laugh, and here she was sounding like a WWE Champion. It was enough to make his face crumple as they both fell onto the floor in a fit of laughter.  
"Do you realize that you have the laugh of a walrus who smokes 20 packs a day?"

"It's a part of my charm."  
"Of course it is," he shook his head, smiling to himself as they both sat up, "Do you wanna do something?"

"I don't know, I thought that we were being incredibly productive before," she smirked, "what did you have in mind?"

"You have to be quiet."  
"Oh, then it's a no-go for me - maybe another time," she teased. He threw his head back and groaned comically. This was going to be fun.

"C'mon, you'll like it, I promise. Or maybe you won't but you'd be crazy not to."

She raised an eyebrow, intrigued, and began to get up, taking the hand he offered her. "Ok, but if I see _one_ piece of evidence suggesting anything culty, I'm out."

"Agreed." Instead of releasing her hand once the stood up, he kept a comfortable grip on it and led her out of the room. And, to his great relief, she let him.

* * *

"Where are we?" Lydia, still only in underwear and sweatshirt, followed Kalum willingly into the dark room. He had expected her to wait at the doorway, but she told him rather forcefully that she wasn't about to let him have all the fun. So, now they were wandering aimlessly through the pitch black room. Kal seemed to know where he was going, though.

"Give me a second," Kalum whispered, reluctantly letting go of her hand to reach for something. A smile came to his lips when he felt the steely smooth surface of the handle he was looking for. In one, swift movement, icy light flooded onto the two figures in the dark and illuminated the room enough for Lydia to see where they were.

"The kitchen."  
There was silence. Kalum stood there holding open the refrigerator door, allowing the cool air to sting their faces - Lydia's more so than his. Did she like it? He didn't peg her for the snobby type, especially at 1:00 in the morning. This is the best he could do on such short notice. He thought he was being pretty cute.

His questions were answered when he saw the expression on her face. Her smile touched her ears and lit up her eyes. It was easier to see her now in this light. Her messy blonde curls had been pushed behind her ears and her dainty, upturned nose crinkled at the rush of cool air that had hit her face. He could now see that she had hints of dark blue paint on her nose, jawline, and in her hair, which looked as natural on her as a second skin - a visible sign of her invisible soul.

"You like it?"

"Is Monet overrated?" She side eyed him with a smirk and he groaned, "Ugh, then I guess I'll have to find something else," he started to close the refrigerator door, when she rushed and held his hand back. She was a breath's distance from him, and he was hyper aware of that fact. She smiled tenderly, a blush heating her cheeks, though more from the chilling air than him, he supposed.

"I suppose it'll have to do for now, though," she smiled and sat down on the tiled floor, rubbing her hands in anticipation, "I think I'm in the mood for ice cream."

Kalum ducked his head, grinning, "Yeah, I think I am too."

"So, what'll ya have," he said, clearing his throat, sitting down on the stinging tile and letting the cold resonate within him. He pulled open a drawer on the bottom of the fridge, letting out a chilling smoke, and pulled out four cartons: Rocky Road, Neapolitan, Cookies and Cream, and Cotton Candy.

"Oh my fucking lord, you are my favorite person on the planet, do you know that?"

"Um, thanks?" Kalum chuckled, placing all four cartons on the floor in front of them, but he had barely touched the Cotton Candy carton when Lydia snatched it from his hands and threw off the lid. It was completely full. She eyes doubled in size.

"I can't believe you have this! No one eats cotton candy anymore!"

"Gonna be honest - I didn't really know we had that. It was probably Maddox, the head chef's kid who stays here. He's usually sneaking in his own items onto the grocery list." Kalum grinned as he watched Lydia fish around in the drawers above them for a utensil to dig into her ice cream.

"Well, I'd like to meet this Maddox kid because he has my sincerest gratitude. I don't know if you can tell, but Cotton Candy happens to be my _favorite_ ice cream flavor." She took her first bite into the creamy, pink and blue dessert with what looked like a soup ladle and melted onto the tile when it hit her tongue. Kalum laughed, "I never would have guessed."

He grabbed a carton of Rocky Road for himself and leaned against one of the refrigerator doors while Lydia leaned on the opposing one. It was quiet for a minute before Lydia spoke.

"So, why are we down here?"

It was a frank question, but Kalum was still surprised by it nonetheless.

"Um, I don't know. I thought that if both of us couldn't sleep and I wasn't exactly being that helpful painting, it was a better alternative."

" _Arger-"_ Lydia spoke with a mouthful of ice cream, the pink cream dispersed around her mouth and face like another layer of paint. She swallowed and spoke, laughing, "Agreed." Kalum chuckled along with her. It was so easy to. No pretense. No propriety. He could just laugh.

"And here I was thinking me sleeping habits would cause problems," Lydia chuckled to herself, stirring up her ice cream a bit, "And now I'm here sitting with the Crown Prince of Illea."

Kalum looked up, confused. "You do this often? Not sleeping, I mean…"  
Lydia nodded, quieter, keeping her eyes fixed on her ice cream now. She still had her glasses on, and before he found them endearing, but now he found them to be a barrier. He wanted to see her eyes again. "I don't sleep very often anymore. At all, in fact. I mean, I could I suppose, but I don't want to…" She sighed, tilting her head back and crinkling her nose. Kalum kept his eyes fixed on her, desperately wanting her to go on. He knew she probably didn't want to, and yet, he had to know.

"Why?"

She chuckled sardonically, her eyes drifting back to her ice cream, "When you sleep you can't control your thoughts. You can't control what you do or do not think about, and there are a few things I'd rather not think about without a brush and canvas in front of me." She breathed, closing her eyes.

"I don't really know you all that well, so I'd prefer not going into details, but-"

"No, no Lydia you really don't have to," Kalum sat up quickly, his eyes flashing with terror. He didn't want to force her into anything. Not again. Not in one day. "You don't have to tell me anything that you don't want to," he sighed, "But the whole not sleeping thing? I get it," he leaned back onto the refrigerator door, "I don't think I would have before tonight, but now I do."

She tilted her head to the side, her eyes quizzical, "Pardon?"

Kalum cleared his throat, adjusting his position on the floor, a little uncomfortable that he even brought it up. "I just mean that I didn't want to sleep tonight either… I don't think I realized it at the time, but I guess I could control what I was thinking about when I was awake, but going to sleep would give my mind room to wander…"

She nodded, and they both went back to their ice cream for only a moment before Lydia spoke up again.

"You like to control things a lot don't you?"

Kalum looked up, "What?"

She shrugged, fidgeting with her spoon, "I just mean that you don't seem to be the kind of person who's especially good at, you know, letting go." She went back to her ice cream. Kalum stared at her, face blank.

"I wouldn't say I'm a free spirit, but I don't think I'm a control freak…."

"No no no, I meant no offense - you're not a control freak," Lydia sat up, frantic for a minute before taking a breath and correcting herself, "I just meant that it must be tiring. You seem tired." Her eyes became tender and she laid back down, whispering, "You deserve to sleep. You deserve to let it go for a little bit and just give it up to fate," she smiled, "And hey, if your mind _does_ wander, you know where I am."

Kalum couldn't help the smile that came to his face when she said that. She wanted to see him again. She wasn't creeped out by the psycho who brought her to the kitchen and asked her about her sleeping habits.

"Lydia," he spoke her name softly, as if he could break it, "don't you deserve to let it go?"  
She laughed, though it wasn't particularly joyful, "No, I think I 'let it go' a bit too often," she took a bite of her ice cream, "Sleep is taking it too far."  
"Sleep shouldn't be taking it too far," Kalum spoke gently, putting his carton down and moving closer. Lydia didn't move.

"When everything else that you've done and seen is as…. well as _discomforting_ as what I have, then reliving all of it seems too cruel, and taking the risk seems too undeserved." She set down her ice cream carton, having just about finished all of it. Kalum was now sitting next to, their shoulders touching, and she leaned her head down on his shoulder. The buzzing of the refrigerator rung in a silent room, the two figures on the floor too focused on each other and their breathing to care. Lydia's head fit perfectly into the crook of Kalum's neck, and even though both of them were sitting upright on freezing tile, they couldn't have felt more comfortable. Lydia's hair was clean. It was not doused in perfume or oil, as some girls often used, and her skin felt soft and fresh. She smelled of clean laundry with a hint of vanilla that must have been added to the load, and Kalum loved it. He felt content as they breathed in sync, though hers continually got slower and slower, deepening with each exhale.

" _You deserve to sleep,"_ Kalum whispered into her hair, his own eyes weighing heavier and heavier, " _You deserve to rest."_

" _So do you,"_ she breathed back, her head falling limp on his shoulder. And with that, they both fell asleep on the kitchen floor to the peaceful sound of the refrigerator buzzing.

* * *

" _Kalum!"_

 _The chestnut haired prince turned to see his mother striding purposefully down the hallway. It was nearly 6:00, so he had assumed that she would be at dinner with everyone else. Evidently enough, though-_

" _I got the doctor's report. You're eliminating her, correct?"_

 _What?_

 _Kalum looked at her incredulously, not quite knowing whether his mother was serious or not. Her tone spoke volumes, but what she was saying didn't quite register._

" _Pardon? Mother, no, of course not! I-"_

" _She is a danger to everyone in the palace, including herself! I don't see why you wouldn't," she spoke matter of factly, as if she wasn't talking about the life of the young girl on the other side of the door. Kalum couldn't believe what he was hearing._

" _No! No, absolutely not! I can't get rid of her because of this! She is in need of our care, and just because she has this-this_ condition, _doesn't mean I can't get to know the real her!"_

 _The Queen scoffed, not surprised at all by the behavior of their son, but not expecting it to last, "Kalum, darling, there is no '_ real her' _. She has two personalities. Two people inside of her. There is no chance of this ending well, especially since there's no cure. Dissociative Identity Disorder patients very rarely hold normal lives outside of_ mental institutions."

 _She left her argument at that, folding her finely manicured hands in front of her. While Jezebel might be known for her courtesy and charm outside of the palace walls, discretion was not her greatest strength in front of her family, and Kalum knew this. But this was the life of another human being that they were talking about. This was the life of someone that was meant to be in his care and he failed her. He couldn't help her. He couldn't save her. He was useless._

" _You can't control this one, Kalum. You can't play the hero." His mother knew precisely what to say. He knew this - he knew that she was playing him, and on some level he knew that she thought it was for the right reasons, but not this time around. No, this time he was going to stand his ground._

" _No. I can, and I will," he spoke with a new level of resolve, his eyes meeting hers, "She will stay, and I will give her the treatment that she needs. She will be my responsibility. I will help her."_

 _He sighed, hoping it sounded resolute and confident, despite his shivering insides. Striding past his mother and towards his own room, he whispered the same thing to himself over and over again:_

" _In… out…. In… out…. In…."  
He had the power to control his breath. That might be the only thing that he could control, but it was enough. That's what he told himself - it was enough._

* * *

 **Hey guys! I'm back!**

 **I'm actually really proud that I got this out tonight! I didn't really plan it, but I just decided on the spot to sit down and finish it and I did! Go me!**

 **So, yeah, this was supposed to be really fluffy and that sort of got out of hand, but you gotta admit, it was** _ **kinda**_ **fluffy, right? Kal and Lyd were cute. Everything else was a bit angsty, but that's just my story so get used it.**

 **Anyway, the next chapter will be out soon because I've already started writing it, but the best way to get me to move faster on my writing it to review so PLEASE REVIEW! It makes me so happy and it makes me move faster, so go do it and I'll love you forever.**

 **Ok, that's it.**

 **Kisses! Bye!**


	10. Chapter 10

**For the sake of "IT WAS F# KING ICE CREAM!"**

Having a girlfriend is a funny thing.

Of course, Kalum knew nothing of said "thing", but he was beginning to. Or, rather, he was beginning to know what it was like to have many "things." How Kole did it, he would never know, but then again Kole never really followed through with his "things", and tended to refer to them as "thots."

The things/thots that Kole had never knew about each other, and when they did... well, let's just say that he wouldn't have to choose between them because eventually there'd be only one left standing. That's not how Kalum's things were. No, his things were even worse. They knew each other, they liked each other, and they were all sitting cheerily behind him in rows on a live mainstage with cameras everywhere.

Oh yes, Kalum's things were far worse, because if something were to happen, it wouldn't be themselves they would tear apart, but him.

And Kalum couldn't help thinking this as he sat ramrod straight with a cheerful grimace on his face, which he hoped wasn't as noticeable as he thought/knew for certain it was. All the while, his doting, loving, raving mad girlfriends sat behind him like a flock of harpies about to descend on their prey.

They weren't, actually. In reality, the girls were polite, a bit chatty, but altogether charming. But to Kal, they felt like his own personal firing squad.

He had felt that way since two days ago when he and Lydia had been found on the floor of the kitchen together, "nestled in each other's arms like a darlin pair of chipmunks ," according to Miss Bell, the young cook who had found them. She was a lively young blonde woman, only in her early to mid-thirties or so, and she spoke with such a charming southern-belle accent that Kal didn't have the heart to tell her that he had no clue what she meant by that. He asked her not to tell anyone what happened, and Lydia too, even though he knew that the latter probably never would. Still, he couldn't count on sweet ole Miss Bell, who, though he didn't know it at the time, was a terrible gossip.

So, news of his late-night-escapade with the blonde sitting front row soon spread through the castle and it had been brought up on at least 4 dates in the past two days. Naturally, his mother was livid, his brother congratulatory, and his father, well, unresponsive - which he didn't mind in the least, for the first time in quite a while. At least there was one person in the entire palace - nay, world, nay, _universe_ \- who didn't know of his scandalous "ice-cream" date.

" _THERE SHOULDN'T BE ANY QUOTATIONS,"_ he wanted to shriek, " _WE ONLY GOT ICE CREAM!"_

But alas, it was not to be. Ice cream was, according to society, a code for secret sexual rendezvous in the kitchen, and quotations were therefore necessary. Oh cruel world. You are too scathingly dirty-minded for anyone to realize you.

Initially, on the Friday report, Baron and Vegas had planned to interview the girls as well as the Princes themselves, just for a little introductory press. It would be a fun, get to know you session with audience Q&A and a bit of fun banter just to make it a relaxed evening. But, per order of the Queen in response to Kalum's latest (and only) scandal, plans were to be changed, and so now they were sitting on a last-minute game show stage with gaudy lights, colors, buzzers, and an obnoxiously 1950's-esque theme song from a show that Kalum remembered as _Wheel of Fortune,_ even though the chosen game for the night was _Family Feud._

All the girls were dressed in glittering gowns and killer heels, with the complimentary gems given to them by his own family - only to be used during their stay at the palace, of course. Nothing but the best for their television debut as the official Daughters of Illea, and possible future queens.

It was enough to make Kalum puke.

Baron didn't feel much better. After his fight with Vegas, nothing had really restored itself as he had been kinda hoping it would. They had never fought like that before, but of course they had _fought._ And while he still felt weird being around her, he still considered them kinda-sorta-like-minded-peer-ish comrades, type of thing. Yeah… comrade…. That was the right word. They were comrades, and comrades could come back from a fight. Even a fight in which one comrade had told the other comrade that they were selfish, materialistic, fake, slutty, etc. etc - no need to relive the past. The last conversation that they had was the day before, and it was thrilling - captivating even! Here's how it went:

Baron: Can you pass the butter, Vegas?

Vegas: No.

Baron: Why?

Vegas: Because it's right next to you.

Baron: Oh… thank you, I didn't see it.

Vegas: You don't say.

And that was it. Needless to say, the two comrades were a bit tense going on stage that night, and Kalum wasn't helping much. Altogether, the stage was downright angsty, like, early 2000's angsty, and Kole was the only one of the fearsome four who actually had his shit together. And that, dear readers, is how you know that armageddon is upon you.

"Good Evening, Illea! How are we doing tonight?"

The crowd went wild at Baron's introduction and he laughed jovially, taking a comical little step back as if this wasn't the reaction that he got every single friday night.

"We've got a fun show planned for you guys, don't we Baron?" Vegas jumped in, taking a little step inwards, so that she was nearly three feet away from him, and he was painfully aware of it.

"Indeed we do, Vegas," he coughed, cleared his throat, and chuckled a little, trying to play off his severe anxiety in that moment as a minor viral illness, "And I'm actually quite excited for this! It's not too often you get to see the princes _lose._ "

A roar went up through the crowd with a varying number of " _Ooooooo"'s and "Ohhhhhhh"s_ as Baron poked fun at Kalum and Kole, the latter of which was jabbing his fists and making slicing motions along his neck mockingly, playing along. The former, who hadn't been listening, looked up suddenly and shouted "Hey!", taking Baron's sarcasm to heart. The crowd laughed, and Vegas chuckled along, nudging Baron in the side so as to say "ha ha ha aren't we chummy! We're totally best friends in real life," but Baron had to suppress the urge to jump out of his skin when she did that. He quickly recovered though, and moved on.

"The game we've got for you tonight is an old one, maybe you've heard of it: _Family Feud."_ And the room was in a frenzy. The Selected in the background cheered and hollered along with the crowd. Kole mirrored their actions and Vegas just clapped her hands and smiled like only Vegas could. Kalum and Baron, though? It was a good thing that there were so many other things to look at in the room, because those two were only 1 minute and 27 seconds into the show, and they looked as though their bow ties were choking them. In all fairness though, they probably hoped that they were.

"I can see we have a couple people in the crowd who know the game, Baron, but would you like to explain for those who don't how to play?"

"My pleasure!" Baron was downright relieved and grateful to whatever god was out there that he could finally step away from the blonde for at least a minute or so. Hurrying over to the enormous screen that hung suspended above the back of the stage, Baron stood between two identical podiums with two identical red buzzers blinking on top.

"So this is how the game's gonna work," he began, "All of you are going to be divided into teams of 5, randomly chosen, with the Princes included," the crowd roared, and Baron waited. "Then, we're going to pit one team against another. One person from each team will come and stand up here," he gestured towards the two podiums, "and listen for a category. Now, under normal circumstances, these categories can be whatever we want them to be! But since this is the Selection," he paused for dramatic effect as the audience clapped, "the stakes are being raised!"

Everyone went wild again, and Baron paused to catch his breath. It was all pointless to him, and he almost felt embarrassed. Almost.

"The point of tonight is to try and get to know our dear Selected, right? Well I think these categories will help us, and more importantly Prince Kalum, get to know them a little better!"

The room was in a frenzy, as people cheered for lord knows what. The Royals? The Selected? A chance to get to know either better? No, they'd only make up lies in the press that suited them. No, Baron suspected that the crowd's cheers didn't come from people wishing well upon their leader, but an audience awaiting - no, _demanding,_ a show.

"So, once the category is given," Baron began again, "the first person to hit the buzzer and give the most accurate answer gets a chance for their team to play - and a chance for them to win more points! For each round, the team with the most points moves on, until we reach the final round where two teams will battle it out to win…" He cued a drumroll from the orchestra pit below them and grinned coyly at the crowd, who was eating it all up.

"A group date with Prince Kalum!"  
And they went nuts for it.

"But there's a catch," Vegas raised her voice above the crowd before they could get too wild again. She strode over to Baron, who tensed as she drew near, "This is a chance for the people to get to know the girls as well. So, we are giving the people of Ilea the chance to pick and choose, for the first and only time during this competition, who you would like to stay, and who you would like to go. There are only 28 girls left. Six teams. From each of the losing teams, you at home or in the audience will be voting off one girl, which will be announced at the end of the game."

Yes, the audience was shocked. Yes, people at home were shocked. Yes, even the Royal family, namely the Princes, who knew nothing of this, were shocked! But no one, _no one_ was as shocked as every single Selected on stage, who had not been informed of any of this! They all had been told coming in that it was a competition and that there would be mini competitions along the road - chances for them to be eliminated. But somehow, in all of the excitement of falling in love and charming Prince Charming, a majority of them had forgotten the single most important component of becoming Queen: the people. This was a lesson that Queen Jezebel had been taught very early on and something that she knew for certain to be true.

 _These girls have to learn it at some point, don't they?_

"Alright then! How about we start picking the teams?"

And the mood was restored, but every single Selected was now fearfully aware of the axe hanging above their head on a very thin string.

The teams were chosen quickly and efficiently. Girls went to stand on separate corners of the stage with their teams, and then back in specific rows once the teams were chosen. Kal was placed on a Team Ruby with Ladies Samantha, Reece, Kenzie, and Caihi, who had received a slightly less enthusiastic welcome than the others. She didn't seem to mind though, because she kept her head held high. Her sleek, black dress with it's gold belt and hip hugging fabric made her appear alluring and vaguely threatening in the gaudy lights. She wore it well - like mona lisa's smile.

Kole was on Team Emerald with Lydia (much to his delight, for he had been meaning to talk to the girl about her supposedly dirty escapades with his otherwise clean brother), Priscilla, Daija, and a girl named Cornelia Van Heusen, who's name he soon forgot. He was a tad bit disappointed when Amoriel was placed on a different team, but then he had to keep reminding himself that he shouldn't be disappointed. There was no reason to be disappointed! He was on a good team with perfectly lovely ladies, one of whom was involved in a scandal with his I'm-too-good-for-the-silver-halo-I-have-to-have-the-gold-oh-and-can-you-get-me-a-pair-of-angel-wings-to-go-with-that brother. Everything was in perfect working order! Besides, she was in a competition for his brother's hand in matrimony, for Christ's Sake!

 _And she'll probably win too,_ he thought to himself, _they'll probably bond over their shared frustration over which halos to go with their angel wings._

"Alright then," Baron sang, "who's ready to get this show on the road? First round: Team Sapphire vs Team Diamond!"

The girls stepped up to their tables as the corny music played. Ilaria and Katerina stood up together and walked arm in arm, despite being on seperate teams. Amore, Mirielle, and Imogen did the same, although Imogen far more timid than either of the other two girls. It had been only a few days since her outbreak, and while her friends (and the prince, for that matter) had been astonishingly supportive of her decision to stay in the competition, Imogen herself was having doubts.

 _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea,_ she kept thinking to herself, _maybe I should have left when I had the chance._

Of course, it was a tad bit too late for that now, but in the back of her mind there was always that nagging feeling of, " _I could hurt someone. I could hurt someone and it wouldn't even be me. I could be an entirely different person and not even know it."_

It was discomforting to say the least; a real inconvenience.

"So, first up to the podium, we have Lady Alexandria Cohen from Team Sapphire and Lady Jaisa Michaels from Team Diamond!"

Vegas gestured for the two girls to come forward as the music began to swing again. Lady Alexandria stunned in her ethereal floral gown with her pale locks pulled back to reveal coppery freckles, dotting her creamy skin from head to toe. Kalum was quick to notice the way she seemed to be biting her lip almost unconsciously until she realized that she was doing so at the podium. Vegas, of course, was quick to notice that Alexandria wasn't wearing heels, and reeled over the fact in her mind before immediately returning to the task at hand.

"Ladies, ladies, you look absolutely divine, and while I would love to compare dress designers, we unfortunately have a game to play," Vegas said in a sing-song voice, "Are you girls ready? Jaisa, you look ready to conquer the game tonight!"

"Oh, honey, I plan to." The seductress clad in black never missed a beat as she slyly curled her blood red lips into smirk.

"That's the spirit, darling! Ok, so, let's look to see how many possible answers we have up on the board," Vegas gestured for them all to look up at the flashy screen above where 6 slots appeared, "Now, each answer will be a specific number of points. Whichever one of you hits the buzzer first can be the first to guess the answer, but whichever gives the answer with the most points, your team will get a chance to either pass, or play - meaning you get the chance for more points. Whichever team wins the most points will move on! Sound like a plan?" The girls nodded and made faux competitive faces towards one another as Vegas began to read the question

"When a woman is trying to catch a man, name something she pretends to like-"

Jaisa was the first by a millisecond to hit the buzzer, smiling cockily to herself as she leaned into the microphone and spoke clearly: "His dingdong."

 _Well,_ Vegas thought, _at least she cenored it… kind of…_

The audience roared with laughter at Jaisa's response, while the queen and a significant number of Selected blushed profusely. Kole sat back slapping his knee and nudging Kalum, who looked positively mortified, not knowing how exactly to react. It was a family show after all. Not to mention the fact that he was in a semi-relationship with this girl… what would happen if… if…

 _Forget it,_ he thought, _no need to think about that just yet… hopefully._

That was uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. It was time for him to move on.

"Dingdong," Vegas mused, pursing her lips and looking at Baron, who seemed to be in physical pain, "Solid answer. Any, uh, any particular reason? I mean not that I don't agree, but…"

"No, I think it's just a knee jerk reaction," Jaisa smirked, "What do I pretend to like about a man? His penis."

Vegas nodded thoughtfully, licking her lips and squeezing her eyes shut as she desperately tried to hold in a burst of laughter. "Alrighty then," she continued, "Can't say I disagree. Let's see what the board thinks," and she turned up to see the second slot on the board flash _His face/Body_ with 8 points next to it. The crowd cheered as Jaisa gave a little winning dance and blew a kiss to the cameras. Vegas turned to Alexandria, who was laughing herself at Jaisa's response.

"Lady Alexandria?"

It took the girl a minute to realize that her name was being called, but she looked up and tried to compose herself before saying, "Oh, Lex, please! Just call me Lex, I'm not used to hearing my full name."

"Oh, cute," Vegas smiled at the girl, "I only ever got the nickname 'V' because the boys weren't clever enough to give me something better…"

"We tried to call you 'gassy' but you didn't want it!" Vegas turned her glare to Kole, who had shouted from his seat and was now chuckling to himself like a 12 year old who had just gotten away with pulling her pigtails. While the audience laughed, Vegas turned back to Alexandria, who simply chuckled and gave her a sympathetic look saying, "Oh _cherie."_

"I'm going to get him for that later," Vegas said to the camera. She then gave Kole a look that said she definitely wasn't kidding and that he had better run. "But moving on, _Lex,_ what is something that a woman pretends to like when she's trying to catch a man?"

"Sports." She gave a nonchalant shrug towards the crowd as the cheered and Vegas laughed.

"Nothing has ever been so true, darling, nothing," Vegas grinned as she looked towards the board, "Sports, she says!"

Sixty-Six points appeared next to the word _Sports_ in the number one slot, and Lex cheered, jumping up and down. She told Vegas that her team would play, and the game went on.

* * *

Needless to say, Lex's team won that round. They only got one more correct answer when Ilaria responded with "His personality," and then they proceeded to get 3 answers wrong. It then went to Jaisa's team again where Amoriel, rather shly, responded with "Sex with him." Vegas, of course, gave her a little sneer that only Amore could see and said, "Naturally." Amoriel kept her eyes glued to the ground from that point on. Still, the Sapphires won and the game continued for another 3 rounds.

There were some memorable moments. For instance, when Priscilla responded to the question, "If you met the real Prince Charming, how would you know it was him," with, "Well, first of all, he'd introduce himself as Kalum," and winked at the blushing prince. Baron, who was finally asking the questions, laughed and said that she couldn't be more wrong, and Priscilla for her part gave him a mini-scowl. She still hadn't forgotten his argument with Vegas that she had accidentally stumbled upon in the Women's Room. It was still sitting in the back of her mind, though she didn't know what to do with it. But while she walked back to her table, she couldn't help thinking, " _Well it's not like you have particularly_ stellar _taste in women, Mr. Chamberlin_

Lady Daija Olmedo actually responded to the same question with, " _G-go-good_ looks," as Kole casually slung his arm over her shoulder. The girl was clearly flustered being in such close proximity to the prince, but Kole looked like he was just having the time of his life making this girl blush, and gave the camera a playful smolder when she said that. Baron rolled his eyes, and said to the girl, "You could do so much better, honey," which only made Daija's blush deepen, and Priscilla's scowl darken.

 _You can't murder Kalum's best friend, you can't murder Kalum's best friend, you can't murder…_

Lydia answered the question, "What does a _man_ pretend to like when he's trying to catch a woman," with, "Claude Monet." Kalum began seething and had half a mind to scream, "MONET IS A CLASSIC, BEAUTIFUL ARTIST!" It only made it worse when she quite visibly winked at him after answering and he quite visibly flipped her off. Luckily, the camera didn't catch it. They were too busy focusing on the board when she won seven points for her answer ( _Arts/Ballet)._

They went through two rounds after the first one, and then they had three teams left: Team Sapphire (Lex), Team Emerald (Kole), and Team Ruby (Kalum). Since it was Kalum's Selection, Team Sapphire went against Team Emerald, and Emerald won, making the crowd go wild for the Prince vs Prince matchup.

"You ok, little brother," Kole teased Kalum as they walked to their respective places, "you look a little nervous."

Kalum was nervous. Although, it wasn't because of the competition, but more due to the fact that he and Lydia were the first up to the buzzers, and he hadn't actually spoken to her since that fateful morning when they both woke up with ice cream on their faces and people called it scandalous. Also, he was pretty sure he had a hair sticking up on the back of his head, and no one had commented on it yet, but if someone were to do so, it would be Lydia. So it was bothering him that he couldn't figure out a suave way to take out a pocket mirror without appearing less manly.

As they stood face to face at the buzzers, Lydia kept making faces at Kalum, trying to make him laugh. It only made the poor prince more jumpy, though, because every time she would make some sort of gasping expression, he'd think for sure that she was looking at his hair and he'd quickly pat it down. Vegas watched them closely, and thought that for Kalum's sake, it was best to just move forward.

"Last round, guys," she looked back and forth between them, "Both of you ready?"

Lydia looked directly at Kalum.

"Is Monet overrated?"

"No!"

"Ok then, I don't think he's ready," Lydia looked back towards Vegas, "But I am!"

Vegas cinched her eyebrows, a bit confused, but shook her head and moved on nonetheless, earning a light chuckle throughout the crowd. "I'm not even gonna respond to that - you guys can have your own nerdy inside jokes," she took a deep breath, and read the question.

"Name something that a man had better not take on his honeymoon."

Lydia, to Kalum's great dismay, was the first to hit the buzzer and answer with, "Another Woman."

It was a good answer. A quality answer. She got a few good laughs out of it, and 17 points in the number two slot, but when Vegas turned to Kalum with his answer, he simply responded with, "His brother."

Kole was the first in the entire room to start laughing, and his first response was to immediately give poor Daija a kiss on the cheek and give Kal an impish grin after the fact. Baron practically fell to the floor laughing and Vegas crouched down in her heels behind the table, gasping for air. Lydia, to her credit, actually gave Kalum a hand shake in all the madness saying she couldn't argue with that. Vegas, thankfully, was the first to stop and tried to calm the room down, waving her manicured hands for everyone to quiet down. Still chuckling to herself she turned to the board as _Brother_ appeared in the number one slot with 33 points beside it.

"If you think about it," Baron came up with the microphone next to Kalum, "Another woman is probably worse than bringing your brother."

"Yeah," Kalum conceded, "but this is the Selection, and the _worst_ possible thing that any man, especially myself, could bring on his honeymoon, would be Kole."

A wave of laughter again surged through the crowd as Kole shrugged and said, "I can't disagree. My brother knows me well."

"I do, I do," Kalum nodded, looking at Kole out of the corner of his eye, "Now, I think my team and I will play."

* * *

Kalum's team won the final round, and unfortunately five girls did end up going home. Cornelia Van Heusen, the girl whose name Kole had continuous trouble remembering, ended up being too quiet to receive many votes from the audience, as were a few other girls. One girl named Francesca, who had made fun of Daija's stutter, had a grand total of zero votes for her stay, and was a joy to see leave. Kalum wasn't troubled by the audience choices, and was relieved when they all left relatively peacefully. It did scare him a little to think that he was now down to only 23 girls in only one week! He made a personal decision to prolong any other eliminations till November at the very least. This Selection needed to least as long as possible.

As the girls began to head back to their rooms, Kalum and Kole stayed behind to oversee cleanup, and to casually spy on Baron and Vegas as they spoke with the producers on the next episode.

"What do you think happened?" Kole leaned on the chair Kalum was lounging in, eyes trained unapologetically on their two friends.

"I don't know," Kalum responded, "Baron wouldn't tell me, and I haven't seen Vegas in a couple days. I think she's still mad at me."

"Probably."

Kalum looked up at Kole, and then back at Baron and Vegas. Sighing, he said, "Thanks man."

"You know I'm right," Kole fidgeted with the upholstering on the chair, eyes still on the couple, "No one can hold a grudge like V."

"You mean gassy?"

They shared a mischievous grin, and then went back to looking at their friends.

"That was so stupid," Kalum said.

"Yeah. It was," Kole smirked, "But it was so worth it though."

"She's gonna get you for it."

"Probably."

"No one can hold a grudge like V," Kalum smiled, and Kole resonded, "You mean gassy?"

They laughed absentmindedly, not realizing until the last second that Lydia had walked right by them and winked at Kalum. He shut up immediately. Kole saw this and nudged Kalum in the side, eager to finally get something out of him.

"What happened," he asked, "Something was going on between you too during the game. The sexual tension was tangible!"

It wasn't - the tension, that is. It was more of a knot-in-your-back kind of tension. Kole knew that, he was just tyring to push Kalum's perfect little buttons. Kal sighed.

"I like her. I really do," he paused, rubbing a hand down his face, "It's just that it was so easy before I remembered that it was all a competition and this was all a game."

"So did you sleep with her?"

 _Thanks, Kole, for that question that came out of nowhere and had absolutely no correlation with what I was just talking about._

"No." Kalum glared lazily at his brother.

"Do you want to?"

"No."

"C'mon, I'm not asking you if you want to marry her, just if you have a crush!"

"I like how you equate wanting to sleep with someone ot having a crush on them," Kalum droned incredulously, "Really says something, buddy."

"Nothing that you didn't already know."

True.

The younger prince looked blankly at the wall. COuld he have a crush on Lydia? Did that mean that he was falling in love? Did that mean he could get married? Did that mean he was going to become King? Did all of this mean that he was ruining his brothers life.

 _Wow, Kal, nice inner monologue. You got 'ruining your brother's life' from being embarrassed about your hairstyle in front of a girl._

Before he could respond to Kole, he saw another two figures approaching them. Priscilla Contreras strode confidently across the stage, arm in arm with Amoriel. The two girls smiled at the Princes, and began to walk past, when Kalum suddenly stood up and said, "Wait!"

Priscilla turned around, whipping Amoriel with her, making the girl's flower crown fall off.

"Hey!" She complained, picking her crown up off the ground, but was immediately silenced by the sight of Kole, standing right in front of her.

"Hey," she breathed.

"Hey," He smiled.

"Hi," Priscilla brightly chirped, though she wasn't looking at either of them. Instead, her gaze was cheerily trained on Kalum, who had folded his hands behind his back to keep from fidgeting. He hadn't exactly planned this. It sort of just happened, and now that he had done it, he had no idea what to say.

"Um, would you like to go on a date with me?"

 _Well, I guess you'll just say that._

Priscilla looked taken aback. So did Amoriel for that matter. And Kole. Everyone watching was a bit surprised by the Prince's sudden question. He looked at her, a bit pleading. All he knew was that she couldn't possibly say no, which was good for him right now.

"Well," Priscilla quickly composed herself, "Far be it for me to say no to a Prince," she smiled, a bit sheepishly, which was rare for Priscilla, "but might I ask why?"

"Yeah, Kalum, why?" Kole jumped in on the conversation, and earned an irritated eye roll from Priscilla. Kalum looked at his brother rather placidly, and said, "Kole, why don't you escort Lady Amoriel to her room? I'm just going to finish speaking with Priscilla."

Kole's eyebrows jumped, while Amorile simply smiled and said, "Ok," and tugged Kole along.

Kalum looked back towards Priscilla, and said, "We had a date planned the other day, and unfortunately, it was interrupted," he looked sheepishly to the ground, and Priscilla blushed, charmed that he was so nervous. In reality he was just thinking of something else to say.

"I just thought that we might have another go… Would you maybe join me for dinner tonight?"

Priscilla could only nodd. It was strange for her to be so speechless. Usually she had tons to say! Not only that, but she knew exactly the right thing to say at the right time. But this was no use. She just stood there nodding.

"So, um, does 7:30 work for you?"

She nodded.

"Perfect." And he walked off, kissing her hand before he left. It felt like the right thing to do at the moment, and she seemed to like it. When he finally left the stage, he breathed a sigh of relief, nd made his way back to his room.

 _See,_ he thought to himself, _you don't care that Lydia might've been laughing at your hair. You asked Priscilla out again. You kissed her hand. You made her blush. Clearly you don't have a crush on Lydia. Clearly…_

Priscilla stood there in the middle of the stage, not sure what to do next. She smiled to herself, giddily, and was about to run off to her room to get ready when someone spoke from behind her.

"Don't get too excited," said Baron, his hands shoved in his pockets, "you see the way he just asked you out of nowhere? And walked off without you? I wouldn't start planning your wedding just yet."

Priscilla seethed.

 _That. Is. It._

The girl whipped around, her eyes narrowing on Baron Chamberlin as she stalked forward to meet his complacent gaze.

"You think that you're _so_ clever! You think that you know everything there is to know about everybody! Everyone should look to you for advice on their love life because you're _so_ knowledgeable on the fact," Priscilla stood toe to toe with the scruffy Report host, thanking the lord that she was wearing heels and wasn't at her normal 5'4 stature, "I'm so done with you! This entire night you've been commenting on everyone! 'This person shouldn't be with this person and this person looks like crap next to that person and OH NO HOW DARE YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON THE MAN YOUR SUPPOSED TO BE IN A COMPETITION FOR," she mimicked his accent and made a face like she tasted something sour, but it had no effect on Baron as he listened to her rant, patiently.

"What did I ever do to you?! What could I have possibly done to make you take all this negativity out on me?! I'm sorry that you have poor taste in women, but Vegas is not like Kalum!"

Crap.

She didn't mean to let that one slip. Shutting her eyes as tight as she could, she prayed that the old saying "If you can't see them, they can't see you," held true. But unfortunately, she had to peek open one eye to see his reaction.

It was nothing. He looked just as placid as ever, his arms crossed in front of his hard chest, waiting for her breathing to slow down. She hadn't realized it before, but she was red in the face. Her hands reached up to cup her cheeks, feeling how hot they were. Priscilla couldn't believe that she had let herself rage like that, and that Baron wasn't responding to it at all. At the very least he could respond.

Instead, he simply gave her a thin smile, and reached out to take her hands from her face. She flinched slightly when he touched her, but let him hold her hands anyway. When he dropped them by her sides, he sighed and said, "I thought it was you."

She gave him a look, shaking her head incredulously, and said, "What? W-what do you mean, I'm confused."

He swallowed and put his hands back in hi pockets. Slowly, he said again, "I thought it was you. I thought I saw you a couple days ago in the Women's Room. I didn't realize it at first, but it was definitely you."  
Priscilla held her breath, waiting for him to go on. He had to go on. She just hoped that he didn't go on to say, "Pack your bags."

"Sorry I was an ass," he laughed to himself, "I figured that, from what I've seen of you, you would eventually snap."

"I would not!" Priscilla gaped, but quickly shut her mouth, realizing that she already had. Baron grinned.

"Told you."

"Ok," Priscilla tried to form her words slowly, "I'm… sorry. I don't really know what to say now… I mean, what do you want from me?" Baron shook his head and shrugged.

"Nothing, I guess," he bit his lip again and looked down, embarrassed, "I just wanted to ask you not to tell anyone… Vegas and I have been friends forever," he laughed to himself, remembering that he shouldn't refer to them as friends. Comrades. They were comrades.

"It's just…"

"It's just that you want to try and fix things before anyone else, namely Kalum, could get involved," Priscilla finished for him, giving an understanding smile, "I know the feeling. BUt normally I just want to fix things, period," she laughed to herself, without any real humor in her tone, "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."

Baron nodded graciously, visibly relaxing and breathing a sigh of relief. They sat in uncomfortable silence for only about two seconds before Priscilla quickly said, "So can I go now?"

Baron chuckled, "Um, yeah, you can go. Sorry to keep you waiting."

"And for generally acting like an ass," Priscilla reminded him. Baron nodded, grinning.

"And for generally acting like an ass," he agreed. Priscilla, in a sudden surge of courage, reached out and gave Baron a one-armed hug, surprising him a bit. Slowly but surely, he hugged back, and then let go, smiling to himself. Priscilla squeezed his hand reassuringly, and spoke softly, "Don't worry. You're a decent guy. She'll see that." Baron threw back his head and laughed.

"Great," he said sarcastically, "Now I'm about to get the pitiful, 'if she doesn't like you for you, then she's not worth it,' speech, right?"

Priscilla shrugged slyly. "I don't know. Maybe she is and you actually suck. But who am I to say right?" She gave his hand another squeeze and let go. Walking away, she shouted over her shoulder, "Now I'm gonna go get ready for my date with a prince! Who's out of their league now, right?"

Baron laughed as he and Priscilla shared one last smile before they both went their separate ways.

* * *

 **Remember me?**

 **No?**

 **It's fine, I get it.**

 **Do you still like my story?**

 **No?**

 **It's fine, I get it.**

 **Liking the cliffhangers?**

 **No?**

 **It's fine, I get it.**

 **No, I did not make up the Family Feud Questions, and yes, I did change a coupld things. If you're like a die hard Family Feud fan, my sincerest apologies, but I'm not writing Family Feud, I'm writing this garbage. So, let's not get to sensitive shall we? Alright then.**

 **I've already started working on the next one and the plan was to post two at a time, but I have to go and do homework and my grandmother might just kill me if I don't get ont he road in the next ten minutes, so this is where I end it!**

 **Please review! I know I say that every single time, but seriously, the more reviews I get, the more inspired I am to get a chapter out. So if you want to read more, please review! If not, I'll probably keep writing because F you, I want to, but it just won't be as quick.**

 **Much love!**

 **Leah**

 **P.S. The reason this is shittily edited is because I needed to get it out quick because I kept promising to get it out. Don't worry, I'll go back and redo it.**


	11. Chapter 11

**For the Sake of a Good Day**

Before the Selection, Kalum had never realized how absurdly _un_ -creative he was. He had always considered himself to be a fairly artistic guy. Well, in the classical sense. He even had his own art studio in the castle. But never before had Kalum experienced such frustration when trying to come up with something so simple as a _group date._

"You're pitiful, Kalum, really pitiful," Vegas had said when he came to her for help.

He didn't think he was _that bad._ His original idea had been horseback riding. I mean, what girl doesn't want to go riding off into the sunset with a prince? Vegas swiftly shot that one down with, "A girl who has to ride off into the sunset with three other girls."

He did have other ideas! Archery, a picnic, a tour of the castle, to name a few - all of which Vegas had responded to with an overdramatized, obnoxious yawn.

Kalum didn't think that they were boring. In fact, he thought that they were quite clever! But what did he know? He had come to Vegas for help, for heaven's sake. He had to be mentally ill.

It didn't feel much better when Vegas had asked, "What did you do with Priscilla?"

When he told her that he had taken Priscilla to dinner, the look that she gave him was positively aghast. Kalum rolled his eyes, and mumbled, "I pity any poor soul that has to take you on a date."

"High standards are the only standards," Vegas had replied, haughtily, "and this is what you're going to have to do…"

Vegas' advice turned out to be pretty helpful. Incredibly helpful, actually.

"Be yourself, you idiot. Do something you actually want to do and force them to do it with you. Plus, you suck at archery so it's not even worth trying to be romantic with it."

This made Kalum smile, because he knew exactly what he was going to do…

* * *

"Hiking… You're taking us… _hiking_?"

Kenzie Wallace looked nothing less than horrified when Kalum told her what they were going to be doing that day. Kalum nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah! Well, I mean, not just _hiking,_ but the entire idea is that we're going _geocaching!"_

He was met with blank stares. Kalum sighed in resignation.

"Treasure hunting, guys, I'm taking you treasure hunting."

Understanding broke out on the girls faces as they began to laugh and nudge each other. All of them were dressed in the hiking attire that he had requested of their maids. He had wanted it to be a surprise, but he had a feeling that most of them probably figured it out when they found that they were all dressed in the same bulky hiking boots. Ladies Kenzie, Reece, Samantha, and Caihi were all decked out in outdoor wear with bright satchels slung over their shoulders and enormous water bottles tucked into the pockets. They'd all brought the small trinkets that he had requested, and Sam, who seemed to be a tad bit more enthused than the rest, had drawn it out of her bag to examine it. Kenzie forced a smile on her face, and responded with a breathy, "Right… _Hiking..._ "

"So where are we going," Lady Samantha piped up, "Please tell me we're not staying on the castle grounds."

"Nice to know you think so highly of my home," Kalum chuckled, "but no, we're not staying on the castle grounds. It's only about an hour to the Sierra Nevadas so we're gonna find a trail up there."

" _Find_ a trail," Reece raised her eyebrows, "As in, you don't already know where one is?"

"No no no, I- no. No, I do know where we're going! It's just that I thought that we'd decide when we got there."

The girls nodded in unison. Caihi, though, still looked confused.

"What are the little things? The trinkets or whatever - what are we supposed to do with them?"

Kalum got a big, goofy grin on his face.

"Well," he started, "they're supposed to be treasures. The way geocaching works is that you're looking for a small container hidden somewhere - anywhere. And inside are little things that people leave behind when they find it. Nothing special just, you know… well, let's see what you have," he held out his hand for Caihi's contribution. The girl cinched her eyebrows, but nonetheless drew out a small object that looked to be a Queen from a chess set. She handed it to him and he held it awkwardly, fidgeting with it as he explained further.

"So, essentially, what you're going to do is take something from the geocache when you find it. And then, so that other people can find it and do the same, you replace what you took with something to give. That is why you bring the… objects. So that you can continue the cycle."

The girls looked fascinated. Samantha, for her part, looked intrigued by the whole process and her eyes glowed with anticipation as she tapped her fingers vigorously on the straps of her backpack. Kalum felt an overwhelming sense of relief to see that his idea wasn't a complete failure. In fact, he appeared to have struck gold if he discounted the nausea on Kenzie's face. But he would make her enjoy it. He would make sure that it was a fun day for them all.

"How about you guys go out to the car to wait for me and get yourselves settled in. I have to quickly do something but I'll be right out."

The girls smiled and nodded, and he quickly handed Caihi her chess piece back with a gracious smile. She returned it and followed the rest of their party out of the grand entryway towards the car. Kalum watched them go, and then turned to the figure standing on the staircase opposite himself. Kole smirked, casually lounging on the marble bannister, watching his brother with undisguised interest.

"What. A. _Charmer_ ," Kole mused out loud, "A modern day Casanova, in fact. " Kole chuckled as Kalum rolled his eyes and began to walk up the stairs towards him.

"You know, I never knew why I got all the girls when you were _clearly_ the better option," Kole tapped his chin thoughtfully as Kalum approached, "Maybe it's because you _did_ get all the girls, but no one could ever find them because you'd take them out into the _woods!"_

"Ha. Ha. Very funny," Kalum droned sarcastically, unamused.

"No! No, Kalum, I think it's smart! I mean, what says romance like mosquitoes and mountain lions-" Kole couldn't finish his sentence before he burst out into ill-contained laughter, having to lean over the banister to catch his breath as Kalum tapped his foot impatiently. He allowed for Kole to make a couple more jokes involving his REI outfit, the button bracelet that he had brought for the geocache, and mountain water diarrhea..

"You're absolutely hilarious Kole - really, I can hardly contain myself - now can I get you to focus?"

"On what? I was just seeing you off," Kole asked, sobering up a bit.

"Look, I'm gonna be gone for the whole day, and probably a little later at night. I normally wouldn't ask this, but with dad… _indisposed_ …"

Yeah. That's the word for it.

"I just need someone to fill in for me."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do!"

"I disagree."  
"Fantastic - you're still gonna do it though."

"Why," Kole practically whined, "I was never good at it in the first place, and besides, I have plans!"

"It's 11:00 am. You never have plans before 11:00 pm."

"Yeah, well, I _could_ have plans and it's especially rude to assume otherwise, so consider me offended and unwilling."

"For the love of Sir-freaking-Elton John," Kalum threw back his head, getting irritated, "I will give you back GEAUX if you do this one thing for me."

This struck a blow in Kole's resolve. GEAUX (pronounced "go") was Kole's old private helicopter that the family hid from him after he used it to fly to the Sahara with a couple of his… shall we say lady friends. His less intimate and more male friend, Lord Bakari of the South African Embassy, had told him that he and his a couple of his mates sometimes went out to the Sahara to party away from their parents. Kole - seventeen, stupid, and significantly wasted - mistook the nightclub that Bakari was referring to for the literal desert, and thought it would be impressive to take his lady friends to a secret nightclub in the middle of the African desert. It wasn't one of his finest moments, especially since he never actually made it to the Sahara, and landed the helicopter in the Mojave desert. He did, however, tell his family that he was in the Sahara when they called to ask where he was, which prompted them to spend two full days searching for him in the middle of the northern African desert. All the while, he was getting wasted at a bar in the middle of Angeles with a couple of strippers he had picked up, not knowing where the other girls he had brought with him were.

Needless to say, getting GEAUX back was an appealing offer.

"Ok. I'll do it. But just this once Kal-"

"Yes! Oh, lord, you are my savior man, I love you - Ok, just go find Baron or maybe Nixon. One of them will probably know what to do so just -agh! Thank you!"

And he was off, leaving Kole standing dumbfounded in the middle of the palace entryway, wondering a) How the hell do you run a country for a day and b) Did he get GEAUX back _before_ or _after_ doing the work.

"Alrighty then," he said to himself, "Time to go find Nixon."

* * *

The ride up to the mountains was fairly uneventful, but Kalum soon learned what a terrible mistake he had made inviting four girls, which, including him, made for a spectacular party of five.

Five.

That meant that if he were to talk to one, he was leaving three others.

 _Three_.

The devil number for girls.

It signified armageddon. It signified Lucifer's return. It signified a slew of riots of the most atrocious kind. For when one girl spoke to the other, the one left out became a jealous monstrocity fueled by pure rage and contempt for the two misguided souls who had left her.

Or so Vegas had said.

But he had no choice! He said that he would go on a group date with the winning team and, unfortunately, this was it.

Not that they weren't lovely of course. But Vegas had a way with words… one that terrified him deeply.

"We're here!"

Sam threw herself over Kalum's lap to see the mountain trail that they were approaching, not paying any attention whatsoever to the poor, space-invaded prince. From the other side of the car, someone could be heard saying, "desperate," under her breath, though everyone knew it was probably Kenzie.

"Ok, just to clarify, everyone has water," everyone nodded, "a protein bar," everyone nodded again, "and their treasure to put into the geocache?"

They had a three for three, and finally, after the everso uneventful car ride, they got out.

"It feels so fresh out here," Caihi stretched her arms out, basking in the welcoming sunlight. The air did feel fresh. It was one of those days where the sun was out, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and it was at a solid 75-80 degrees, with a slight breeze that made the desert-like mountains feel as crisp and refreshing as the Rockies. It was a good day. Kalum could feel it.

"Ok, we have to take a picture," Kenzie piped up, drawing out her cell phone and scrolling around with her manicured fingers, "Everyone come over here and get the driver to- OH! Wait! Do we want this to be a selfie?"  
It ended up being a selfie. Reece, Caihi, and Samantha, for their parts, looked severely uncomfortable, but Kalum, in his certainty that this was going to be a good day, was the optimist of the group, and played along for Kenzie's sake.

Finally, after a series of selfies, foot pics, panoramas, and a final group picture in front of the skyline (both silly and smiling, of course), they were on their way, not one of them deterred by the fact that they had been standing in the heat for 30 minutes taking pictures, and had already sweated half their body weight. It was going to be a good day.

"What if we get lost?" Samantha was the first to ask the almighty question, after previously being the first to realize their driver and bodyguards had left them. Not that she minded. They made her uncomfortable.

"Let's just focus on not getting lost right now, shall we?"

Kalum had tried to be clever, but it wasn't working, and he could see that in Sam's face.

"No, um, this is a known trail, and they have sensors and cameras tucked away around here, so really we can't get lost. Plus, they're just gonna stay around here, so if we do get lost, they can just come find us."

Sam nodded thoughtfully, tucking a strand of fiery red hair behind her ear as she marched along down the path, enjoying the nature around her. It was nice to be outside again. She never really got to do this sort of thing, but she did work with wolves, so some level of appreciation for nature was required.

"Don't worry," Reece piped up for the first time in awhile, "I think that if we do get lost, they'll guess our positioning from the angle of the Instagram pics," she jerked her head over towards Kenzie, who was desperately trying to find a good selfie angle while simultaneously keeping up with the group. She did it though, despite occasionally tripping over a rock or stray tree root. Kalum snorted, but quickly recovered.

"Exactly. See, everything's perfectly safe."

Caihi stayed silent through all of this. She saw the look Kenzie threw her when Kalum said "safe," but was able to keep her temper under control. It wasn't worth it anymore. It wasn't worth it when Kenzie subtly/not-so-subtly slid away from her in the car, and it wasn't worth it when she made her valiant attempts to hide Caihi in the pictures and crop her out when she made the final posts. It just wasn't worth it.

"Is there a map that we follow? If this is, like, a treasure hunt, shouldn't there be some sort of map," Kenzie asked, running up to brush arms with Kalum.

"Yeah, actually," Kalum responded, rather uncomfortably, "It's here on my phone - we just need to get close enough to it for the compass to kick into gear."  
"So for now we're just walking?" Kenzie tried her very hardest to contain her annoyance. She really did, but everyone could see it nonetheless.

"I guess so," said Kalum, inching a bit ahead of Kenzie, who just nodded, as if considering the information. But with nothing else to bother (or flirt, as she termed it) Kalum with, she fell back, and awaited her next opportunity.

* * *

"Kalum said _what_?"  
First of all, I think that it should be clarified that Kalum did _not_ need someone to fill in for him in his princely duties. He never did. It just kind of happened, but Kalum didn't know that because he had never taken a day off of work in his _life_. But he thought that he did, and in his mind, who better than the former prince? Granted, said former prince never really accomplished any of _his_ princely duties, but it's never too late to try! That was Kalum's mindset. Never too late to try.

Queen Jezebel, however, did not agree.

"Yeah. Kalum sent me - said that I needed to fill in. You're welcome, mother dearest," Kole smiled contentedly. He wasn't drunk - she could tell that. But he was enjoying this way too much to be anything other than intoxicated.

"Then why are you smiling?" Jezebel raised her eyebrows, her dragon nails tapping precariously on the binder in her arms.

"Oh, I just love the feeling of good, honest work. It gives me a high like nothing else could- well, almost nothing else," he winked suggestively, casually tucking his hands into his suit pockets. Jezebel rolled her eyes, annoyed by the mere presence of her stepson. It was a pet peeve like no other - his existence, that is. She had dearly hoped that once abdicating, he would simply lurk around in the wine cellar somewhere, or maybe tour the strip clubs of downtown Angeles.

And here he was.

"Don't tell me that you're not happy to see me," Kole mocked, clasping a hand over his heart in faux pain, "Really, mother, I thought that you'd be thrilled! I mean, filling in for my brother? That's pretty responsible if I do say so myself…"  
He shrugged, as if to say, "I don't know what else you want from me," reveling in the evil eye she was giving him.  
"Just don't say much, and you'll be fine," she rubbed her eyes, already exhausted by the conversation, "Maybe we can all get out of this with our dignity intact."

"Oh don't worry, mother, I will!"  
"I was talking about the rest of us," she grumbled, opening the door to the conference room, "Having a conference with Kole… what has the world come to…"  
Kole, neither listening to nor caring about what his stepmother had to say, strolled into the wood paneled conference room after her, enjoying himself a lot more than he thought he would.

"Alright," he said, straightening his tie, and forming his smirk into a charming smile, "Let's have some fun…"

And with that, he entered the lions den.

* * *

"Wow," Samantha breathed, gazing at the view from atop the cliff, "This is gorgeous."  
"Yeah, isn't it?" Kalum took in the fresh air beside her, finally feeling at peace with himself after two hours of hiking uphill, fighting mosquitoes and dehydration. Finally, it was worth it.

"I'm gonna be honest, I didn't really take you for an outdoorsy kind of guy," Sam chuckled, moving away from the edge, following the others as they resumed walking up the path.

"Most people don't," Kalum smiled, "It's the prince thing, I think. Generally, people think I either sit in an office all day, entertain guests, or practice fencing."  
"You know how to fence?"

"Not at all."  
Sam ducked her head, smiling to herself. He really was something…

"So, if you don't fence, and you don't sit in an office all day-"

"Oh no, I have to do that. Kind of required," Kal jumped up onto a rock and held out a hand for Sam, who almost slapped it away, but seemed to rethink the idea, and took it graciously. "Otherwise, how do I run a country?"

"I wouldn't know."

"Well, I'm telling you right now, it requires a lot of office work," Kalum chuckled sardonically, "After awhile, the outdoors begin to sound really appealing. More appealing than it is once you're actually out here," he said, wiping the sweat off his brow, still grinning. Sam laughed at the prince, enjoying the sight of him grunting for air as they jumped up another steep rock formation. It was interesting. No one saw the great Prince Kalum Schreave like this. Maybe no one wanted to! But he was sure as hell more entertaining than the one they saw on the Report. At least he was to her...

"I spend all day either in a garage or a bar," Sam grumbled, following close behind as they wound their way around a thin path, "So I guess I understand the feeling."  
"Yeah, but don't you raise wolves?"

Sam was taken aback. How did he know that?

"It was on your form," Kalum smiled back at her, reading her mind, "I tried to learn as much as possible about you girls… plus, something like that doesn't exactly escape someone's mind."

They shared a smile, enjoying the comfortable air between them, before Reece's voice rang out from ahead, "Guys! The compass is finally working!"  
"About time," Kenzie grumbled, shoving past a startled and thoroughly annoyed Caihi to reach Reece.

"It looks like we have to go down there," said Reece, pointing down the rocky path, "and it says that we're 100 feet away."

Sam gave a low whistle, glancing down the cliff and into the rapids below. "It doesn't look too steep over there," she said, pointing to the waterfall on the other side of the cliff, perpendicular to them.

"Yeah! Forget the scary cliff! Let's jump off the waterfall instead!"  
Kenzie's commentary wasn't helpful.

Reece glanced around, analyzing their surroundings. This was what she was good at. This was what she could do. Directing her gaze towards the waterfall with Sam, she saw the path that Sam was referring to - a rocky, two foot wide, switchback path that went far too close to the waterfall for her liking. But it was the best option.

"No, you're right," Reece spoke up, "Let's try over there."

"So, just to clarify, we're _sure_ that this little treasure box is worth risking our lives for?"  
Caihi spoke up for the first time in awhile, and it was a bit surprising to them all. Reece, however, familiar with the ridicule of society, and frankly a bit excited by all this adventure and problem solving, simply laughed and said, "Honestly? Probably not, but I didn't brave the Angeles heat for 2 hours and walk through a big ass spider web to leave empty handed."  
"I'm down," said Sam, good-naturedly.

Kenzie groaned, but they were all past paying attention to her and simply left her to her personal torture.

"Agreed," Kal said, his eyes twinkling and his smile stretched from ear to ear. Yes! This hadn't been a complete disaster!  
Well, not just yet.

* * *

"That was a complete disaster," Jezebel groaned.

Archibald Chamberlin chuckled, amused by the Queen's dramatics. She was splayed out on the chaise lounge in her private quarters, Archie beside her, stirring his drink. They had a meeting with the National Wilderness Preservation Committee in 15 minutes, and Jezebel could hardly form a coherent sentence. She wasn't willing to go back - not with _him_ there.

"Was he really that bad?" Archie was trying his best to be supportive, and it wasn't as if he was too fond of Kole either, but really. He had abdicated and hadn't shown interest in the throne since he was 12. He wasn't a threat. So he was substituting for a day! Big deal! It wasn't as if he actually _did_ anything.

"Oh, trust me, he was worse," Jezebel sat up, glaring pointedly at Archie, and snatching his drink, "And I just had to sit there. Listening to him ramble on and on and… oh _lord_ I wanted to shoot myself," and she took a great, big swig of his bourbon. Archie laughed again, earning yet another glare from the Queen.

"And what, might I ask, did the late, great Crown Prince Kole have to say? Could you smell his breath while he was speaking? Is that what this is about?"  
"No," Jezebel rubbed her eyes, "He kept saying 'as my father would say,' and would essentially repeat something someone in the room had already said." Archie's lips tightened ever so slightly. "Darius," he said slowly, "he quoted your husband? The one in the hospital?"

Jezebel looked up and seemed to recognize that this was making Archie uncomfortable. She stood and settled on the couch next to him, lovingly placing her hand on his knee. Forcing him to look at her, she spoke, "There's a reason he's quoting that man. They're the same. The exact same broken, tortured, _weak_ souls, with nothing better to do than to ruin other people's lives, just to make their own seem brighter." She smiled, and squeezed his knee. "Kole could live a thousand lives, and he'll never, _ever_ be more than that man - he'll never be more than _nothing."_ And she touched her lips to his. It was a tender, sensual kiss, and Archie could feel her smiling against his lips, before pulling away. " _And I love you. There's that."_

And Archie smiled. Suddenly, everything did seem brighter. Kole was off the throne. Darius was in the hospital. This woman - this stunning, intelligent woman - was sitting here kissing him, telling him that she loved him.

It was a good day.

* * *

"WHY THE HELL DID WE DECIDE TO DO THIS?!" Caihi screamed over the thundering waterfall beside them. She was following Reece, who led the way down the narrow path, just close enough to the pounding falls to be sprayed by it's mist. Kenzie had nearly refused to even step onto the path, but a quick word with Kalum soon persuaded her, and now they were all lined up, hard pressed against a rock wall, about to be drowned by 10 ton gallons of river water.

"IT'S OK," Reece could be heard shouting over the falls, "WE JUST NEED TO MAKE THIS LAST SWITCH BACK AND THEN WE CAN JUST SLIDE DOWN!"  
"OH YEAH, _THAT'S_ BRILLIANT! FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC! LETS JUST _SLIDE_ DOWN TO OUR DEATHS- MAKE IT A JOYRIDE!" Kenzie's shrill voice protruded through all echoes of the falls around them, and even in spite of their situation and her semi-agreement, Caihi rolled her eyes at the curly-haired blonde.

But doing as Reece said, they all helped each other around the tight switch back, and each made it out with a bit of spray from the waterfall, but on the whole, intact. Then, they slid down, landing on a large, smooth grey stone that sat at the edge of the current. All of them stood up, quite amazed that they had truly lived through that, and checked to make sure that no one had broken boned and such.  
"I have to say, Your Highness," Caihi sighed, looking around them at the towering cliffs lining the river, "So far, I'm not too impressed by your ideas of fun." She threw him a side glance, smirking, and Kalum laughed. "No, I don't suppose any of you think too highly of my extracurriculars as of right now, do you?"

They all looked sheepish as they laughed, Kenzie being the only one to deny it aggressively, saying that she was enjoying every minute of it. They all looked sigelong at her, wondering if she was actually going to stick with that. She did, surprisingly, and they all moved forward.

"So, where is this treasure?" Sam stepped up, grabbing her bag, and pulling her flaming red locks into a ponytail behind her. Kalum almost corrected her with, "It's called a geocache," but thought better of it and stayed silent.

"Umm," Reece mumbled, staring intently at the compass, "About 20 feet from us."

And the search began. At first, when one hears, "About 20 feet", one assumes that, with limited surroundings (including rocks, river, and two trees), the search should not take more than 10 minutes.

It took 45.

They must have looked between and under the same stones about 500 times, each time more grueling and frustrating than the next. Sam offered to climb into the river, just in case some idiot hid it under the current, but Kalum wouldn't hear of it.

"It'll help me cool off," she argued. But Kalum wasn't about to risk it.

"A) You could drown, and B) I have just enough faith in humanity to believe that a human would be so stupid as to hide a family friendly _treasure hunt_ box beneath a _deathly water current_."

"Why not," Reece piped up, "They were stupid enough to send us down that cliff!"

"Truth," Kenzie grumbled, "But he's probably right. Plus, even if it is under there, why risk it? Haven't we done enough already?"

"Yeah, but I'd like to think that it was all for a reason, right? We've come this far- what's a little more water" Caihi stood on the other side of Reece, backing her up. It earned her a pointed glare from Kenzie.

"You mean the deadly water current over sharp rocks and rapids? Is that the 'little more water' you're talking about?"

"We could just wade in! It's not that big of a deal, especially since we're all wearing waterproof boots."

"Ok, look, we shouldn't even be talking to you about this, I mean, if one of us dies, it's just another notch on your belt right?" And that was it. That was Kenzie's first mistake.

That was the last straw. Time seemed to slow, and as the others gawked, especially Kalum, Caihi launched herself at Kenzie.

Their screams echoed over the crashing falls, and immediately, after falling to the ground on a patch of grass, the two girls wrestled mercilessly, yanking at each others hair, and pounding into the other into the ground. Reece jumped in to pry the girls away from each other, grabbing onto Caihi as Kalum did the same to Kenzie, Suddenly, Kenzie turned her attention to Reece, and shoved her out of the way. That was her second mistake.

Reece's eyes burned, her focus now on Kenzie. Charging, she slammed into the girl, one punch knocking her to the ground. Caihi tried to help her, but Sam held them both back. She pried Caihi away from the shrieking blonde, and held her and Reece back at arm's length. Kalum held Kenzie to his chest, shouting for her to calm down. He was none too pleased.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" All three girls looked at the prince, their movement becoming stiff. Kenzie had the nerve to shudder and nestle closer into Kalum's chest, playing the defenseless victim. Caihi and Reece appeared guilty, but neither shrank back, owning up to their faults. Sam just looked pissed.

As Kalum gazed at the girls, the firs in his eyes burned out. His focus turned to one in particular.

"Kenzie," he spoke in a low, foreboding tone. The girl turned her head up to him, noticing his arm slack from around her. Her eyes were falsely wide, but she had no doubt that she was blameless.

"You're dismissed. You're out of the competition."

The air was silent, but Kenzie didn't miss a beat.

" _What,"_ Kenzie shrieked, "You're kicking me out? _NOW?!_ Now, after I was just brutally attacked by a convicted murderer and a rabid _Eight?"_

Sam had to hold the two girls back again, both steaming with rage. Kalum looked about the same.

"Yes," he replied, trying to keep his anger at bay and his voice composed, "Yes, I am."

"That's-that's… _What?"_

A wordsmith this girl was, really. But Kalum was unrelenting.

"Come on," he said, shrugging a shoulder to her bag, lying forgotten on the shore, "pick up your stuff, and let's go."

Kenzie was speechless. The other three were speechless. No one spoke as Kalum went to gather his own things, not paying attention to the saucer-eyed females gawking at him. "Well? Are you coming?" Kenzie continued to sputter, but Reece warily responded, "Um… but what about the… the geocache?" Kalum shrugged again, as if the whole matter was but a trivial inconvenience.

"Kenzie's right. It's too dangerous, and I think that I speak for the entire group when I say that we've had enough nature for one day."

"So I'm not eliminated?" Kenzie's poor, blue eyes flickered with hope.

"No, you're still eliminated."  
And he set off back towards the hill where they slid down, and began his climb.

And the rest followed, unsure of what was left to do.

* * *

"Are you seriously getting rid of her?" Caihi had sidled up next to Kalum on the hike back down. Reece was planning on being the one to do it, but Caihi insisted, saying that she was the one who first hurled the screaming bitch to the ground, so she should be the one to ask why she wasn't being eliminated too.

"Why does no one think that I will? Yes, she's gone. She's-she's off. Out. Dumped. _Discarded._ Lumped out and froged- whatever terminology suits you." Caihi let a smile creep onto her face.

"Froged? That's a thing?"

"I don't know… probably in England or some shit like that."

Caihi couldn't help bursting out laughing. Kalum chuckled a bit as well, and Kenzie glared at them both from the back, wallowing in her "froged" misery.

"You know…" Caihi let her voice become low and cleared her throat, "I um… I'm not gonna, like, um…"

"Kill anyone?"

Caihi's cheeks flames, but she nodded. Neither made eye contact, and instead continued down the rocky path, pretending that the only reason they were silent was because walking/hiking took severe concentration. But again, after about two minutes of utter silence, Caihi cleared her throat.

"I haven't-er, I didn't. I never did."

Kalum looked up, his eyes not giving anything away.

"I don't think you did. And at any rate, I don't think you're ever planning to."

"You don't?"

"No… I don't know why, if you don't mind me saying. But I just... ," Kalum grabbed at his hair and sighed, "I just don't think you did. And besides… everyone has a past, so I choose to believe that if you say you didn't, then you didn't, and for now… we'll just leave it at that." And it was silent again. And it wasn't because of the giant one-of-us-is-a-convicted-murderer gap between them, or the one-of-us-is-the-crown-prince-of-a-world-superpower gap, or the everpresent we're-kind-of-sort-of-dating-despite-one-being-a-convicted-murderer-and-the other-a-prince gap. Who could forget that one. No, it was just silent, and they continued their walk down the path. Caihi never asked why Kalum decided to keep her there, and she never wanted to. For now, she was just glad that he did.

* * *

"Why did I just see whats-her-face running down the hall crying? Well, not running, but if it had been that dramatic, then she might've been running." Kole swaggered down the palace steps to his brother, who was tiredly climbing out of the black sudan, dragging his feet with every step. The older brother looked positively wicked, his eyes glinting with mischief and malice, like that elf from Midsummer Night's Dream (the name escapes me). He was dressed in a suit that didn't have the buttons open too low, or the sleeves rolled up. He was even wearing a tie, and his hair had enough gel in it to stick him up on stage singing "Grease Lightning." Kalum narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"What did you do?"

"I was responsible."

"I don't think that means what you think it means."  
"No, probably not, but we're going to assume for your own sanity that it means what _you_ think it means."

Kalum nodded, pursing his lips. "At this point, I can live with that."  
"Good. So can I," Kole grinned cheerfully and turned back around to walk with Kalum up the steps. When they got back up to the grand hall, Kalum heard his name being called from behind them. He turned to see Reece jogging to catch up with them, her miniature frame braving the tall steps rather well. Kalum smiled and urged Kole to go on without him, and Kole gave him a suggestive wink. "I guess taking 'em to meet mother nature does work after all."

Kalum rolled his eyes and shoved him up the stairs as Reece approached.

"Hey," Kalum greeted, "I'm sorry we didn't get to spend much time together today… Alone I mean."  
"No, that's not what I'm here about."  
 _Oh. Well, thanks. Much appreciated._

Reece immediately realized what she said, but instead of blushing or profusely backtracking, she said, "Sorry," in an almost composed tone.

"I just wanted to say thanks. For not getting Caihi in trouble and all that." She tugged on her earring, but that was the only sign Kalum had that she was nervous, and he smiled.

"Of course I didn't get rid of Caihi. Kenzie was being a, well, a _bitch_ the whole time and provoked her, so…" he trailed off, leaving it to Reece to interpret the rest. She looked at him for a second, as if he was some problem that she didn't know how to solve. He fidgeted under the intensity of her gaze.

"But Caihi is a murderer."

"Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"Yeah, but you're definitely an Eight."

"Not anymore I'm not," Reece crossed her arms across her chest defiantly.

"That's precisely the point." Kalum smiled victoriously as Reece surveyed him. Analyzing him.

"You're not what I thought you would be."  
"Dido."

Reece laughed and said, "Be honest. You never exactly thought of me much."  
"Oh, don't be like that! I thought of you every night in my _dreams."_

"And people say that your brother is the smooth one."

"I have my moments." Kalum grinned, feeling more and more confident by the second. Maybe this whole dating thing was good for him.

"But in all seriousness," he said, tilting his head and shoving his hands into his pockets, "I've been getting the whole 'you're not what I thought you'd be' bit quite often as of late. Maybe you could come to dinner and tell me _exactly,_ without leaving any of the gory details, what people think of me." Reece eyed him, but not in fashion that he was used to with her. She looked amused.

"Maybe not tonight. But thanks." Well that was new. Kalum nodded, but didn't say anything as Reece slowly turned away, as if considering what she should do next. Kalum watched her go, smiling to himself.

 _Well_ , he thought, _let's recount this shall we?_  
He had left the country in the hands of Kole for a day.

He had taken four girls out into the woods for a date.

They had almost died next to a waterfall, all to get what was possibly some sort of tinker toy or mini Happy Meal book.

His dates (plural) had began attacking each other after one called the other a convicted murder, which she was.

He had, for all intents and purposes, broken up with one of his girlfriends in front of the others, and it wasn't the one who was a convicted murderer.

And, finally, he came home sweaty, exhausted, and thoroughly broken down by Angels heat and desert rocks, without the supposed tinker toy or mini Happy Meal book that he had sought out to find in the first place.

And all in all, it was a good day.

* * *

 **I'm baaaAAck.**

 **I'm doing this great new thing where I write the next chapter before I post this one so that I'm always ahead of the game. So yes, chapter 12 is written, but you won't get it until at the latest next week when I've finished 13.**

 **Aaaaand yeah! No long author's note today, I just hope that you enjoyed it, and you're planning on reviewing!**

 **Also, don't hate me because I didn't feel like writing an important meeting or something. I'm not good at that. If you want to read cool, sexy politics with Russian Czars and stuff that actually involves political intrigue (which I know nothing about) go and read If We Ever See The Sun by L.C. Caraway because she wrote some really cool stuff with that.**

 **So yeah! See ya next week! (God, I sound like a vlogger)**

 **BYE!**


	12. Chapter 12

**This is really hard for me to do, and I don't want any shit for it. Please finish reading before you make any assumptions.**

 **This has been in the back of my mind for a little while now, and I think that it's for the best. While it might seem like I'm just throwing it away, or giving up, I swear I'm not. This has been something I've thought long and hard about, which is why I hope you won't hate me when I say that I think it's time I put a cap on FLttC.**

 **Obviously it's been a while since I last updated, and it's not for lack of having a chapter, or for lack of trying. I've always said that I was determined to finish FLttC because I've "gotten this far." By "gotten this far," I don't mean that I've come a long way, because let's face it, I haven't. What I mean by that is that I've become so invested in it, that I couldn't stand to let it go to waste. I've spent hours planning and having fun with ideas and plot twists. I've developed characters and come up with backstories and endings and even children for some of my favorite ships. I love the pinterest boards that I've made and all the long convos I've had with submitters. I truly love this story.**

 **Which is why I have to let it go.**

 **It's become a stresser. I'm beginning college applications now, as well as working full time over the summer. During the school year I thought I could find time, but clearly, by the end, I couldn't. Every time I was able to write, and felt the inspiration to write, I did. But I didn't feel like I was giving it everything I could.**

 **In the beginning, this story was like my child. I wanted to make it perfect and give it everything I had. I had so many high expectations, and the thought of not fulfilling them killed me. I don't want to put this story on HIATUS. It's too good for that. I want to let it go peacefully, and not force it to sit there, just waiting for me to be ready to pick it back up again. It's like putting a dog down, except, not at all like that. I just want it to be clean.**

 **I'm sorry if some of you regret ever submitting to my story or reading it, but I don't regret making it. I don't regret the time that I spent making individual storylines for your characters, and finding futures for them. I don't regret daydreaming about the plotlines and character development. It was fun for me, and it was beautiful, and I'm so sorry that I couldn't share it with you. But I don't regret it. I'll never regret it.**

 **Who knows, maybe someday I'll reboot FLttC, but not right now. I want to have the time to dedicate to it, and a plan to back it up.**

 **This is not me just abandoning my story and moving on to something bigger and brighter. This is not me giving up. This is me letting go. I can't keep fantasizing about it. It needs to be on the paper, and right now, I just can't do that.**

 **Thank you to all my readers and submitters and amazing friends that I've made along the way. I hope that you don't hate me. Nothing makes me jump up while sitting in school, or grin madly in the car more than reading reviews and talking to ya'll over pm/pinterest. It's been a good time.**

 **I won't completely delete this story, because I can't quite bring myself to do that, but we're just gonna tuck it in for now. I'm literally crying writing this - no lie. But I can't lead ya'll on or myself anymore.**

 **Thank you , and goodbye.**


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